Acting Out
by Serenity-hime
Summary: A Sailor Moon movie is being made in Tokyo? The girls audition, and so does Mamoru. Usagi and Mamoru have to put aside their offscreen differences to get into their roles, but how far into their roles will they go? Usagi and Mamoru, 1st season romance.
1. Preview

**Warning: long author's notes ahead! They have little to do with the story!**

**A/N about me**: First of all, I just want to say I'm sorry. I'm sorry to anyone and everyone who's read any of my unfinished stories and has wondered what rock I've been hiding under the past year or so. Gomen nasai, I offer my life in shame. Please forgive me, it's been a long trek to where I'm at now.

Let me be brief in my reasons: I've gone through financial crisis, I've broken down about school and my grades and working to get into medical school (this includes impossibly hard classes and teachers making subjects I love pure torture), I've been forced out of my job (but I start a new one Monday), one bother finally came back from Iraq (where he almost died countless times), the other brother got a divorce, and a million other things, but also I'm planning a wedding. My wedding.

On the now part, things are on an upswing. I'm starting a different job Monday, my Mamo-chan-like-man is doing some web design for the University we go to for some extra money, I've got a nice long summer break to indulge in (after pulling all A's and one A-! yeah!), and I'm getting married in August. Things are positive for me again, and I've felt like writing for the first time in what seems a very, very long time. I'm so very sorry for making so many promises about updating, and I hope I never do it again. I hit a slump, but I'm back, and I hope I can still make everyone smile.

The Longest Trip Ever will continue, I actually have most of the next chapter written out, but I wanted to do this cute little story first. I don't think it will be incredibly long, but I hope everyone likes it anyways. LIKE IT! I mean, um, let me know what you think :)

Again, I'm sorry, but I hope you enjoy this story.

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**Acting Out: Prologue**

"Can you believe it? A Sailor Moon movie being made right here in the Juuban district!" Many ear-splitting, glee-filled screams ensued. Motoki glanced over at the table of girls in the corner and chuckled. Usagi was waving some piece of paper around in the air and all the other girls seemed incredibly excited about what she had to say. He smiled and went back to filling orders – it was probably some scheme of theirs to land the guys of their dreams. Isn't that what teenaged girls usually were doing?

Usagi slammed the paper down on the table and flashed a "V" for victory to the girls seated at the booth.

"That's right, and we all know who's going to make the lead role!" She stood up on a chair and began making cheesy poses. "I will be the ultimate champion of justice! In the name of the moon, I will get that part!" Cue wobbly chair, toppling blonde, and screams of anguish and horror as a result of a skinned knee.

"Jeez Odango, think you could go one day without trying to kill yourself?" Usagi's tears vanished, turning instantly into rage as she jumped up to face Mamoru, who had managed to saunter over while she was on the floor. _Darn him with his continual sauntering! Isn't there a limit on how much you can saunter in an area, or per day or something? There should be!_ She watched in horror as he reached over and picked up the flyer she had been waving.

"Give me that!" She lunged at him and he easily stepped aside while reading the flyer, causing her to go sailing into an (thankfully) empty booth.

"A Sailor Moon movie, eh?" He turned to where she was standing up form the booth and straightening her skirt with a huff. "Who are you going to audition for, the youma?" He grinned as her face turned a delightful shade of pink. She was _awfully_ adorable when she was this mad. She reached out and snatched the flyer from his hand.

"As if, dorkwad. I'm going to audition and _get_ the role of Sailor Moon, champion of justice, heroine for millions!" She turned up her nose at him, and he burst out laughing.

"You? A champion of justice? Sure I can see that happening, the day that eating sundaes is punishment for a crime!" He turned to walk away holding his sides while he was laughing and completely failing to see the hurt look on Usagi's face. Hurt quickly turned to defiance.

"I'll get that role Chiba, you just wait!" He stopped and turned to grin at her, a witty retort inches away form slipping off his tongue, then simply shrugged and walked off. Secretly he was hoping she would, praying that his angel would get what she wanted the most. An idea was already playing out in his mind, an idea he was patching together as he quickly strode away form the Crown Arcade. Meanwhile, Usagi was still fuming in the arcade.

"Jeez he is such a jerk! I wish I could just take him and put him in a jar and…um… pour lemon juice on him! That would sting a lot! And it wouldn't taste very good!" Mina and Mako were laughing, Ami was sighing and burying her nose deeper into her calculus textbook, and Rei was just rolling her eyes.

"You know Odango, he has a point." Usagi's glare of wrathful vengeance was turned toward Rei. "It's not like you're ever going to get that role. Besides, I think I would make a much more beautiful Sailor Moon than you would." She fluttered her eyelashes and Makoto choked on her milkshake.

"Don't call me that, Rei! Besides, everyone knows that Sailor Moon is much slimmer than you and has much prettier hair." She idly twirled a finger around one of her own locks. Mina stood up, placing herself between the two.

"Stop this nonsense! You're both acting like children fighting over the last cookie in the jar. If you really both feel you want to try out for the role you can, and that will be the deciding factor." The two senshi looked abashed, lowering their heads. Mina put her hands down and nodded sagely before lighting up with one of her big, pop-star smiles. "Besides, we all know that the role will go to the one with the most talent and experience, which is none other than Aino Minako, Goddess of love and beauty!" Not even crickets dared to intrude on that moment. Makoto turned to Ami.

"What about you, Ami-chan, don't you want to audition for the movie?" She smiled encouragingly. Ami looked up at Makoto, pushing her glasses delicately back into place.

"I really don't think we have the time right now – we have to start studying for exams!" Usagi made gagging noises.

"Ami-chan…it's still summer!" The girls laughed, Ami blushed and began intently studying her calculus book again, and the day stretched on. Usagi looked again at the flyer which was proclaiming that open auditions were beginning tomorrow at 8 am sharp and smiled. She had a really great feeling about this one.

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A/N: Well, what do you think? I'll go ahead and post the first chapter tomorrow, I just wanted to put this up tonight. Please review for me, I want to know people are still out there and reading my junk hehe. 


	2. Act 1: Auditions

**A/N:** Ok, so I've only gotten a couple reviews, but I wanted to go ahead and put my next chapter out there. I haven't started work on the second chapter yet, but I'm hoping it will go smoothly. Probably no more updates this weekend - I've got a lot of things to do. This chapter kind of skips around a lot time-wise in order to get the the point, but I tried to keep the transitions smooth. Any criticisms are welcomed so long as they're constructive and not just negative hehe. In any case, I hope you enjoy, let me know what you think about the story so far :)

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**Act 1: Auditions**

"What?" A shriek could be heard across the grounds outside the studio. Minako was grinning and the other senshi were staring at her in shock. With the exception of Usagi, of course, who was so openmouthed a flock of sheep could have marched right though. There was also some crying involved, and some lunged attempts at Minako's throat, which made for a rather funny picture, especially since Mina was currently laughing as Usagi tried to choke her.

"That's right, number one star Aino Minako has done it again!" She flashed her V for victory, and Usagi lunged to try to cripple her fingers. If her fingers were broken, she couldn't act, right? Mina jumped away as Makoto tried her best to politely restrain Usagi. "See Usagi, I told you I'd get the part. Don't worry, maybe I can convince them to make you my sidekick or something!" She laughed again, and there was more lunging and restraining involved.

"Calm down, Odango." Rei smiled innocently at Usagi, who growled another "Don't call me that!" over trying to get to Mina. "It's not like it's the end of the world." Makoto smiled down at Usagi.

"Besides, at least most of us got the parts we wanted – we actually get to appear as ourselves! And even if the directors mostly aren't focusing on the rest of the senshi, that'll be something, right? Seeing all your friends up on the big screen?" Usagi stopped struggling and looked at her. "Besides, you get to body double for Sailor Venus, which is still just as cool." Then the tears started coming.

"But I don't want to body double! I want the lead role!" They were really falling now. "After all, I should get to play my own part; I mean who's better for that part than me?"

"Minako, obviously," Rei muttered.

"Oh Rei you're so mean to meeeeeee!" And the wailing had begun. Then a familiar voice came floating out from behind them.

"Man, who tripped Odango this time? Oh wait, she probably did it herself!" Mamoru grinned past the girls who all shared anxious looks with each other. How much of their discussion had he heard? Usagi instantly got quiet and stuck her tongue out at him.

"No I didn't _trip_ you jerk! I'm just having a conversation about the _stupid_ auditions for that _dumb_ movie that they're making. It will probably be the worst movie ever anyways!" She grabbed up her bag and he grinned.

"Guess you didn't get the lead role, huh Odango?" She glared at him. "Too bad, 'cause you could have been schmoozing up with one of Japan's finest actors playing the fabulous Tuxedo Kamen." She eyed him cautiously.

"Who got the role?" He grinned one of his self-righteous grins that irritated her so much.

"Why, me of course! We could've been snuggling up in front of the camera but it looks like you blew the audition. Too bad for you, but it looks like I'm in luck today!" He walked off, laughing almost too hard at his own joke. Usagi stared at him in disbelief. _He got the lead male role. He's Tuxedo Kamen…well sort of anyways. I can't believe it._ The girls watched him walk away, still laughing, but when they turned around Usagi was walking the other way, shoulders slumped in defeat.

Minako stared after Usagi, a strange look on her face. She looked the other direction, where Mamoru was disappearing around a corner. She looked back at the girls, who were looking at each other, and an evil grin slowly crept across her face. She threw her arms around the two closest victims- er, friends and pulled them close. Ami, who was thankfully on the other side, leaned in to hear her whispering.

"Girls, I've got a plan."

* * *

Mamoru slumped against a wall once he was around the corner. _I can't believe she didn't get the part. It was my one shot, my one chance to be close to her, and instead I'll just wind up alongside some air-headed dimwit with no personality who wants to take the relationship off the set._ He made a fist and struck the wall. _It figures. _He sighed, turned away, and headed for home.

* * *

"Turned down the role?" Usagi blinked. The director was smiling fondly on the other side of the line at her obvious confusion. As much of a klutz as she had seemed to be in auditions, she seemed like a nice enough girl. "But why would the girl playing Venus just drop out? I mean this is a big, big role to just turn down." Mr. Mamoto shrugged.

"Well, she said she had an offer from some American director to come over and shoot a few films with him, seems like some big deal. In any case, we've decided to offer the role to you since you were training for all her stunts anyways. She doesn't have a whole lot of lines for the first few scenes we'll be shooting, so you'll do fine. Just do some studying, shooting will begin next week!"

Usagi stared at the wall for a moment. A light dawned somewhere in her eyes. It spread like wildfire, lighting up her face and producing a smile, then a silly grin. Most of the studio covered their ears at the shrill screams of joy coming through the receiver and echoing around the studio. She squealed something of acceptance, slammed the phone down, and called all the girls for an emergency meeting.

* * *

"Usagi as Sailor Venus? That'll be the day!" Rei was holding her sides as she fell over laughing onto the floor in her room. Makoto gave her one of those "stop picking on your sister" motherly glares as Ami smiled and patted a now deflated Usagi on the back.

"It's a great role, Usagi, and at least you'll still get to be in the movie. We're all happy for you!"

"All of us!" Makoto also gave Usagi a big smile while Rei rubbed at a sore spot on her ribs where an elbow had been moments before. Usagi smiled a little, and turned to look at Minako, who was the only one not to have spoken in support of her yet. She was sitting on the opposite side of the table, head lowered, not looking at anyone. The other girls followed Usagi's gaze as a frown tugged at her mouth. She leaned across the table, reaching out to place a hand on Mina's shoulder.

"Minako-chan, are you ok?" As her hand brushed her shoulder, Minako shot up from her sitting position, knocking Usagi's hand aside. Her face was set, eyes filled with determination, and she clenched one hand into a fist.

"I cannot let this happen! I will not let anyone other than the goddess of Beauty and Love, Aino Minako play this role! To let anyone else take this role would be a disgrace! I must stop this at once!" With that, she dashed from the room and out of the temple. Usagi and the other girls (seemingly) stared after her in shock.

* * *

The girls were sitting at the arcade eating sundaes when Usagi came flying in. Mamoru, who was sitting at the bar as usual drinking a soda turned around on his stool curiously as she rushed over to the table they were all sitting at. He couldn't see the panicked look on Usagi's face as she flew by, but the girls she was headed for could. Minako steeled herself.

"Minako how _could_ you?" Usagi shrilled, gaining the attention of the entire arcade. Minako smiled and laughed, waving off her friend's shock. She wasn't sure if Usagi was angry, upset, scared, or whatever else. She would have to play this cool.

"Oh it was nothing really. I just couldn't stand the thought of you playing Sailor Venus. It would have been such a shame to see such a good role go to waste, you know." Mamoru blinked. Had he just heard that right? Did Mina get Usagi out of a role that she had apparently gotten? That didn't seem very friendly. "Besides, the role you're getting is obviously insignificant, and hardly worth my time."

"Bu-but Mina, you can't just-" Mina stood up.

"Oh yes I can just, and I did. And you're going to have to live with it!"

"But Mina I can't just stand by and watch you throw all that effort away! I mean think of the fame! Think of how important this is!" Mina smiled.

"I know how important it is. As your friend, I have to make this happen." Usagi still tried to splutter out objections.

"But this may be the only chance – " Mina waved it off.

"There will be lots of other chances. Besides, this will be great for me, and it will do worlds of good for you, whether you realize it or not."

"But Mina I don't know if I can play Sailor Moon!" Mamoru nearly fell off his stool, choking on soda. Usagi barely spared him a glance. "I mean, I wasn't ready for this, and you've wanted this kind of break for so long. I mean, this is a big role, you can't turn it down just because you don't want me to play Sailor Venus." Mina laughed again and gathered up her things as the girls got ready to head to the temple for Senshi business.

Mamoru sat there for a minute after the girls left, staring at his soda in shock. This was what he wanted, this was the real reason he even auditioned for that dumb movie (aside from the obvious, of course). It was really happening.

"Um, Mamoru? Are you ok?" Mamoru grinned as he looked up at his good friend Motoki, who was drying a sundae glass he had in his hand.

"Motoki my man, I'm as good as gold. In fact, I think I feel like singing!" He walked out humming a happy little tune, ignoring the sound of a glass bumping against the counter as Motoki barely saved it from hitting the floor. Today was the best day he'd had in a long, long time.

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A/N: I love being able to draw on Mina's character like that :) Any thoughts?


	3. Act 2: Training

A/N: It turns out I lied, but in a good way! Here's another short chapter for your enjoyment. I'm trying to keep these shorter so I can update more often, and so I have more of a tendency to finish these quickly instead of putting them off. I've already got good ideas for the next chapter, this is mostly just set-up. Enjoy!

And also, thanks to all of you who are reviewing. It really helps to know that there are still some of you guys out there reading my stuff. It really means a lot!

Serenity-hime

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**Chapter 2: Training**

Usagi dropped her bag on the floor and plopped down onto the chair with a sigh. The other girls followed suit, all crowding around their usual table at the Crown. Usagi's stomach growled loudly and Rei rolled her eyes.

"Oh I'm soooo hungry. Who knew that training for a _movie_ could be so hard?" Makoto grinned at her.

"Oh come on, Usagi-chan, it's not so bad. I mean after all, we're getting in great shape, which has definitely been helping out in our nightly habits." She stretched and flexed a little. _Of course Mako-chan doesn't have a problem with it – she was in great shape already!_ Surprisingly, Ami nodded.

"I'm actually quite glad I decided to take the role myself. I've been getting a little out of shape since I've been so busy studying lately. It's giving me an excuse to get in some good exercise in between study sessions!" Usagi groaned.

"Please Ami; let's not talk about school stuff now. I'm trying to enjoy what I can of my break in between the mega-workouts they've been giving us. I wonder when we'll actually start shooting?"

"Well they have to get us in shape and do all of our training for combat scenes and the like," Mina provided. "Otherwise they'd have to break up the shooting and it's much easier to get us ready and then do it all at once." She nodded sagely. Motoki walked over to take their orders, and Usagi greeted him warmly.

"Motoki-kun! My savior!" She turned in her seat to smile up at him gratefully. "I need a sundae stat, with extra hot fudge!" Motoki laughed and took the other girls' orders while Rei turned towards Usagi.

"You know you're not supposed to eat that kind of junk, Odango. You'll get all fat and you won't fit into your costume." She burst out laughing as Usagi stuck her tongue out at her.

"Don't call me that. Besides, you're one to talk Rei, getting a chocolate shake. I didn't realize Sailor Mars weighs 1000 pounds!" She laughed as Rei fumed. They went back and forth until Motoki came back with their orders, still grinning. Those two could go on for hours if left alone, so he felt he should step in. He grabbed a chair and scooted it between Rei and Usagi.

"So, how are you guys enjoying the movie business so far?" Mina giggled.

"Well I'm a veteran of course," Rei muttered something about a dog food commercial, but Mina just talked over her, "of _course_, so this is all old news to me, but I think everyone else has been enjoying it so far." Muted grumbles ensued. "Then again, we haven't gotten to the actual shooting yet; we've just been training for our respective roles." Motoki nodded.

"Ah, so which roles are each of you in again?"

"Well I'm playing the fabulous Sailor Venus, of course. Rei is playing Sailor Mars, Makoto there is Sailor Jupiter, and Ami is Sailor Mercury. Oh, and of course there's our Usagi, playing Sailor Moon, the lead role!" He grinned at Usagi.

"That must be so exciting for you! How much are you enjoying that?" Usagi blushed.

"Well, we haven't really gotten into filming so I don't know how I'll do, but Mr. Mamoto-san says I'm going to make the perfect Sailor Moon for his movie." Mina was grinning, but hid it behind taking a few large bites of her sundae. "I'm still a little nervous, but I think after reading more of the script and practicing on my own I'll be ok." Motoki roughed her hair a little as he stood up to go take more orders.

"Well good luck to you Usagi-chan! I can't wait to see you up on that big screen. I know you'll do a great job. Give Mamoru an extra smooch for me, ok?" He laughed and walked off, completely missing the puzzled look on Usagi's face. She turned back to the girls.

"Why on earth would he want me to kiss Mamoru?" All four girls stopped what they were doing simultaneously, and stared at her. Ami blinked and set her book down on the table, looking around and the other girls uncertainly before speaking.

"Usagi-chan, you do know what he's talking about, don't you?" Usagi blinked. She shook her head as she watched a glob of ice cream fall off Mina's spoon and splatter in her sundae dish.

"No, Mamoru's a jerk; I wouldn't kiss him for all the yen in Japan." Rei rolled her eyes.

"You've _got_ to be kidding me." Makoto laughed nervously.

"Well, would you do it for a movie contract?" Usagi blinked again. What was wrong with them?

"No, of course I wouldn't! Nothing's that important, I'd rather cut my toes off, thank you." Mina sighed and set her spoon down in her dish.

"Usagi, did you take the chance to read through the whole script?" Now Usagi was laughing nervously.

"Well, not the whole thing, no."

"Did you even get through half of it?"

"Well I've been so busy with all this training stuff…" Rei slapped the table with her hands.

"Did you even read any of the script?" Usagi shook her head. "It's a _love_ story you dimwit! It's the story of Sailor Moon, including the other Senshi but most importantly her relationship with Tuxedo Kamen, which if you weren't paying attention before is being played by Mamoru!"

"So? That doesn't mean I have to actually kiss him, right?" Even Ami nearly lost her composure at that one.

"Um, Usagi, it's a love story. There are lots of emotional scenes, including kissing." Usagi stared at her.

"You're joking, right Ami-chan? I mean, they wouldn't actually make me _kiss_ him, we could just do that kind of stage kisses that they do in plays? You know where you just cover the other person's mouth with your hand and nobody notices?" Mina shook her head.

"Usagi, this is a movie, people would notice if you weren't actually kissing him. You have to kiss him. It's just a part of the business, that's all. It's not like it has to mean anything." She gave Usagi a big wink, who let out a horrified wail.

"This can't be happening to me! It just can't! I can't kiss that…that _jerk_ in front of all those cameras and all those people! My _mother_ will be watching this movie! She's going to kill me!" Mina laughed.

"Oh Usagi-chan she'll understand, it's just a movie after all." Usagi wailed again, picked up her things, and dashed out of the arcade. Minako grinned at her friends as Usagi sped down the street towards home, miraculously missing Mamoru who had been recently absent from the arcade.

"Girls, everything is working out juuuust fine." Ami looked down at her book sadly.

"I don't think we should be doing this to Usagi. She seemed awfully upset."

"Don't' worry so much Ami, I'm an expert matchmaker, and I know a good match when I see one. Usagi and Mamoru will be smooching onscreen and off in no time!" She grinned, and Rei shrugged.

"I don't think she stands a chance with him, personally. He's way too classy for her." Makoto frowned at her.

"Rei, you shouldn't be so negative towards her. I know you've had a thing for Mamoru for a while but he told you he wasn't interested. We may as well try to make them both happy, or at least help them to be that way." Mina nodded.

"I just want the best for everyone. Besides, you still have Yuuichirou, and he's perfect for you!" Rei blushed furiously.

"He is not! He's a self-involved idiot who just wants to impress any girl he comes across! He's not worth my time." Mina laughed.

"Oh just wait Rei, your time will come too." The girls laughed and bantered well into the evening, breaking up in time to go home and sleep since they would begin shooting first thing in the morning.

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A/N: Did this explain some of those questions? I hope it did. And the whole thing with Mina and Usagi wasn't that she really didn't want Usagi to play the part of Venus, she was just obviously scheming to get Usagi and Mamoru romantically involved, and was willing to give up a big role to do so. Such is the ways of love! 


	4. Act 3: Lights, Camera, eep!

A/N: Once again, it's been awile since I've updated, but at least it wasn't a year this time. Sorry to take so long, but I just started a new part-time job which I've been working full time for the past few weeks. It's not been that bad, just so much work then coming home to try to get a break for a few and finding myself unable to do anything hehe. Anyways, I hope you like this chapter, please review and let me know even if you hate it. I've got some great ideas in place for the next chapter, and I hope to get that out soon.

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**Act 3: Lights, Camera…eep!**

_Sailor Moon half sat-half lay propped up on the roof of a school building. Down below her, the Senshi were fighting a youma desperately, though they did seem to have the upper hand. She leaned to try to peer down and gasped, her hand holding her side where blood was slowly seeping between her fingers. She coughed, a small trickle of blood making its way form the corner of her mouth. She swiped at it with a gloved hand, smearing the pristine white with the violent red of her own blood. She tried to stand again, but two gentle hands pushed her back down._

"_You mustn't get up. Your wounds are too deep." She looked up into deep blue eyes and felt her heart flutter._

"_Tuxedo Kamen-sama…" She coughed again, then shook her head. "No, I have to help them! I can't let them do this on their own." She tried to stand again, even more feeble, but he pushed back to keep her from standing. _

"_You're not going to help them by getting yourself killed. Besides, I think they have it under control." She peered over the edge form where she sat. Venus had her chain wrapped around the youma and Mars was scouring it with her fire attack. She nodded weakly and sat back. When she turned back towards Tuxedo Kamen, he had moved much closer._

"_Don't worry, Sailor Moon. I'll take care of you." He leaned close, his eyes slowly closing as he closed the distance between their lips. She blushed a bright crimson, seemingly unsure._

"Um…"_ He was much closer now, so close that she could feel his breath on her lips._

And then she fell backwards, knocking Mamoru over in the process.

"Cut!" Mr. Mamoto clambered down from his chair, a worn and tired look on his face. They had stumbled at this part every single take so far. He walked over and helped Usagi stand up, who was still blushing.

"Mr. Mamoto-san! I am so, so sorry!" He sighed.

"What is it this time, Tsukino-san?"

"I'm sorry, I just wasn't ready…I mean, I don't think I've prepared myself for this enough, I think I'm just too unsure of the whole scene and I'm not entirely sure of my motivation –"

"Motivation?" Mamoto cut her off. "Tsukino, you're a young girl, how can you not be sure of your motivation in the first really romantic scene of the film?" She gave him pleading eyes. "Oi. I thought all you girls ever thought about was getting married and boyfriends. Ok, let's take a break. Everyone gets 2 hours for lunch, so all of our actors can get their 'motivation' going." Usagi heaved a sigh of relief. Mr. Mamoto walked over to her and leaned close to speak with her. "Tsukino-san, it's been two months of shooting. Please make yourself comfortable with these scenes. We can't delay forever on these, and you have to do this." He walked off.

Usagi looked over to Mamoru, who was pulling off his hat and gloves as he walked back to his trailer. She chewed at her lip a little, thinking hard. After a moment she raced back to the girl's dressing area to get dressed into normal clothes before heading to Mamoru's private room.

* * *

Mamoru paced around his dressing room. He had been so close! Just a few more seconds and he would have kissed her, he would have really been able to kiss her. Yet every time they had done this scene she pulled away. _Gee, she must really despise me to not even be able to act that out in a movie with me._

He shook his head. She must on some level have wanted this too, or she wouldn't have taken the part. He just couldn't understand why she kept pulling away. It was like she couldn't even get into the scenes, like the upcoming kissing scene was taking away form her performance. Did she really despise him that much?

He sighed and sank into an overstuffed arm chair. He felt so torn when it came to her. He felt this deep-seated need to be with her, a strong force inside of him that drove him to be closer to her. That side of him timed her morning route to make sure she would "bump into him", that side of him made sure he was at the arcade every day around the time she came in from school. Yet another part of him pulled away, tried to stay hidden from everything, especially her. If he got close to her, she could get in. If she got in, she'd see everything, and know everything. He wasn't sure he was ready to put his heart out on display for someone to see it. He had a lot that he'd kept in him for so long…it was so strange to have a part of him wanting to share that.

He stood up and got dressed in his street clothes, intending to go to a little café down the street to get a good sandwich. Not as good as Motoki's, but they could still make a decent sandwich, plus some of those little baby pickles he liked so much. He smiled, heading toward the door. At least the day wouldn't be a total loss. He pulled open the door, and Usagi looked up at him, a startled look on her face.

She was standing there, her hand held out toward the door as if she were going to knock. She started to take a step back when the door flew open in front of her, bewildered. He blinked, looking down at her, unsure of what to do as she stared up at him, speechless. He leaned casually against the doorway and grinned.

"Hey Odango, come to see your favorite movie star? I'm practically famous, you know." She frowned.

"I didn't really come to see you; I just wanted to talk to you." She started to turn away. "Now I see that was a mistake though. I'll see you after lunch." She turned and started to walk down the hall, but he grabbed her wrist.

"Odango." She turned back to him, her face lit with an anger that was familiar to him. Not the kind of hate-you-forever anger, just the heat of the moment anger she always threw at him. "Usagi, I didn't mean it like that. What did you want to talk to me about?" Some of the color faded from her cheeks as she took her hand back. She looked around the hallway.

"Not here, please." He raised an eyebrow. Now this was interesting. For a second his hart forgot to beat, and then he told himself he was being silly. _She doesn't want to talk to me about _that_. It's not like she's going to confess sudden feelings for me and ask me to marry her. I need to get with the program._ He simply nodded, and started to lead her out of the studio.

"We can go to the park."

* * *

They stopped at a small food stand on the way to the park and got some yakitori. Usagi eagerly gobbled hers down; Mamoru exercised a little more patience as he watched her in amusement. Occasionally he would toss out comments about how she was going to choke if she kept inhaling her food rather than chewing it like normal people. She would make evil faces at him and continue munching away while he secretly smiled behind his food. This was almost like being out on a date, though he doubted she was thinking of it that way. 

He was enjoying the warmth of the sun on his skin, eye half-closed in the brilliant light, walking along silently before he realized that Usagi had stopped. He looked back at her, a few steps behind him. She was looking out over the lake, a sad expression on her face. He turned around and walked back toward her. She started talking without looking at him.

"I brought you out here to talk about the movie." He wasn't entirely expecting that, but it wasn't much of a shock, either. After all, it had been dominating their lives for awhile now. "I guess you're wondering why I've been having so much trouble with that one scene. The truth is…" she turned to look at him. Were those tears in her eyes? "The truth is, Mamoru, that I don't know if I can do this or not." Ok he definitely wasn't expecting that. What was going on here? He felt almost overwhelmed. He was thinking a nice little jaunt in the park, maybe Usagi confesses her undying love for him and he manages not to screw it up too badly, but this was something entirely different. He watched her as she turned back to look over the lake, waiting for him to respond.

"Why can't you do the movie? You're not that bad of an actress, you know." She smiled wryly, but said nothing. He sighed. "Ok, I give up. What is it?"

"You're only going to laugh, or say something mean."

"No, I'm not. I really want to know what's wrong, Usagi." She turned to look at him again, probably thinking she had misheard him. "I mean, we have to work together and if you won't talk to me about why you can't do this then this won't work out at all." She stared at him for what seemed a very long time. He could feel his palms starting to sweat under that stare, like she was trying to bore into his soul. Finally she broke the silence.

"I've never kissed anyone before." He blinked. That was the big deal?

"That's the big deal?" He could see the hurt immediately forming on her face. He held up his hands in surrender. "I didn't mean it like that, I just mean I don't understand why it's so hard for you." She sighed, crossing her arms in front of her and turning towards the lake again.

"I knew you wouldn't understand. I don't even know why I bothered." Now it was his turn to frown at her words.

"Obviously something made you want to tell me. So talk to me about it." She rolled her eyes.

"Obviously I must have a brain tumor to talk to you about this stuff. You don't understand what it means, do you?" He stared blankly at her. "The first kiss? The first kiss ever?" He shrugged and she groaned. "Mamoru, this isn't something a girl is supposed to take lightly. We dream about this kind of stuff. You plan this out – it's supposed to be with someone special, not for some dumb movie." Ouch. That one really hurt. He knew he wasn't her favorite person, but rejection still wasn't fun. He tried to just nod and hold it in while she continued, almost as if he wasn't there and she was having outspoken inner dialogue. Which, come to think of it, was probably more like just plain old talking to yourself.

"I don't even know where to start. This is supposed to be something I'll remember for the rest of my life, and I don't even know what to do. I mean, what if I can't do it right, or make it seem real? What if I can't do it at all? I'm so scared that I'm going to mess it up, and this is such a great opportunity for me. I guess I'm just really confused right now. I don't know what to do about any of it." She trailed off, her eyes shining with unshed tears. Mamoru scratched his head. She seemed really torn up about it, but he had no idea what to say, so he just said the first thing that came to mind.

"I, uh, I could help you practice." Big mistake. She turned toward him, horror on her face, and he had no time to dodge the incoming slap. She may have seemed on the scrawny side, but she sure had an arm on her. She was turning to storm away, when he grabbed her wrist again. He was getting pretty good at the whole stopping-her-before-she-runs-away-hurt thing. He wasn't sure if it was a bad thing that he had the opportunity for so much practice.

"Usagi, that's not what I meant. I meant, it is what I meant but I didn't mean it the way it came out." She glared at him. Why were all those suave lines failing him now? He was always so good at saying cool stuff. "What I mean is you're going to have to give in and do it, one way or another. Your only other choice is to drop the film and we both know you're not going to do that. I was just offering to help you get through this."

"And how are you supposed to do that? Insult me some more? Hurt my feelings as much as you can? I don't think that's really going to help me, baka." He sighed, dropping her wrist.

"I don't know, I was just trying to help." He thought for a minute as she looked away, waiting for his response. Suddenly he got an idea.

"Usagi, since we don't have to film tomorrow, why don't you meet me out here around lunchtime?" She stared at him like he was some sort of alien. What was going on in that head of hers? "I mean, we can get together, have some lunch, and talk about this some more once we've both had a chance to think it over. And give you some time to cool down." She shrugged.

"Whatever. I just want to get through this, but I don't know how. What are we going to do about the scene?" He smiled.

"Don't worry about that. I think I might not be feeling too good after that yakitori, I might even be getting a stomach bug." She smiled gratefully, and he felt his heart soar. She might not know it, but she had just given him more than he could have hoped for.

* * *

A/M: I felt like there was an awful lot of looking at the lake, then not looking at it, then looking at it again in this chapter, but I wasn't sure how to make it work without stripping it completely and leave it as dialogue. This is a silly, less-serious story for me, but I still want to make it work, you know? Please R&R:) 


	5. Act 4: Love Scenes

A/N: Hah! I'm back! I needed a short break, and I had to leave town for awhile, but I'm here and even though classes just started up I'm going to dedicate some time to be writing. As soon as I'm done with this little story I'm going to get back to The Longest Trip Ever. I've had lots of ideas for it. I think being back at school helps, since my university is the one I based the one in the story off of :) Plus I ran off and got married in June, so I've been in a good mood lately! Tee-hee :)

Anyways, enjoy this next act in Acting Out!

Ok, I can't get line breaks to work, so I'll have to make my own little ones, please use your imagination for my ultra-spiffy line breaks!

**Pretend Line Break!**

Act 4: Love Scenes

**Pretend Line Break!**

Usagi stood in her room wrapped up in a big, fluffy pink towel, carefully pinning her hair up in her usual buns. A few pins were sticking out of her mouth as she frowned in concentration, lifting her heavy hair and twisting it delicately. After she finished, she sighed, taking the leftover pins from her mouth and stretching her arms out. Putting all that hair up was a lot of work! She sighed and walked over to her closet.

The door creaked a little as it slid back and she carefully examined some outfits. Today was a nice, casual day, so she eyed her favorite pair of overalls with some deep consideration. She stood for a moment, chewing on her lip in careful thought. What if she was supposed to wear something nice? Mamoru had never said where they were going to eat lunch at, just where they were meeting in the park. What if he wanted to take her somewhere nice? Should she wear something more formal? She looked at a classy, strappy black dress she had worn to the last winter formal and shook her head. Mamoru wasn't going to take her out to some fancy foreign restaurant, that would be like a date or something.

She stopped for a minute, a blank expression on her face. _Wait a minute…is this supposed to be a date? Is that what's going on here? I thought we were going out to lunch to discuss the movie or something, but what if he was asking me out?_ She laughed nervously, and shook her head. _No way, Tsukino. Mamoru is a jerk, he's self-centered, and even if he could turn his thoughts away from himself for two seconds, you'd be the last person he asks out. He despises you, you despise him, it's a win-win situation. Or a despise-despise situation. Whatever._

She smiled a little more nervously now, but reached into her closet and snagged a slightly less-than-casual outfit, a pretty powder-blue sleeveless sun dress embroidered with little yellow flowers. She got dressed slowly, a four-letter word nagging constantly at the back of her mind as she tried her best to ignore it.

**Pretend Line Break!**

Mamoru stood waiting by the fountain in the park for Usagi to show up. He had gotten there early just to make sure he would be there first, which wasn't really hard considering her track record on punctuality. She came bounding up about twenty minutes late, but a pure vision of beauty in a light sundress. He smiled a small, secret smile to himself. She was absolutely perfect. He quickly masked it with disinterest.

"I see you managed to find the biggest monument in the park with only 10 minutes to spare until you were a half hour late, Odango." The pretty pink flush in her cheeks from rushing quickly turned an angry red.

"I didn't come out here to be insulted, jerk. If that's all you wanted me to waste my day for I'll just leave now." She turned to go but he grinned at her and waved it off.

"I was only teasing, Usagi. Besides, I can't let a meeting slip by without trying to get on your nerves." She raised an eyebrow at him, and he uncharacteristically laughed, leading her towards the nearby restaurants. "Think of it as how I say hello." She rolled her eyes, but let herself be led.

They wound up grabbing something fast again, which surprised Usagi. Mamoru didn't seem like the quick-meal type of guy to her. _Then again, what type of guy does he seem like? I act like I really know him but we've hardly shared any words besides insults._ She shrugged, munching happily on a curry pork and chicken-filled bun. Any excuse to get out of the house and eat good food was a good excuse, in her opinion.

Mamoru eyed her sideways as he chewed on his own curry bun. She seemed more at ease since they got food, which he thought was a good thing. He needed things to run smoothly today, which meant cutting down on all the insults. Already he was itching to toss out another good one, but he suppressed it. He loved seeing that cute blush creep up into her cheeks, knowing he could get down to her core like that. He could touch her in ways even her friends couldn't, and in a way he liked that. He couldn't make her love him, but he could still provoke emotion – emotion that he didn't think was entirely hostile.

They continued on walking and eating until they were both finished, then he had her sit down under a large cherry tree and sat down near her. Not next to her by any means, but close enough to make conversation comfortable. He pulled out his script from a pocket inside his jacket.

"Did you bring your script along, Odango? Or maybe your cat ate it." He grinned at her again, and she turned that pretty shade of pink for him. She grumbled and reached into her bag, pulling out a tattered script. He thought he heard her mention something about bad paper eating habits and chuckled. "Ok, let's work out some of the kinks in these scenes. Let's start with the last scene we were working on." She looked up at him, panic shining in her eyes. "Don't worry, we won't go that far. I just want to work on the emotion in the scene. We'll stop before it gets to that part, I promise." She nodded.

"Ok, where should we start?"

"Um, start with where you're laying on top of the school, looking down at the other Senshi. Don't be afraid to take your time with it, I want you to really get into it." She nodded. She leaned up against the tree, and instantly she was in character. She grasped at her side, pain etched across her face. She looked off to the side, and he inched closer to her. She started to get up, and he pushed her back down gently.

"You mustn't get up. Your wounds are too deep." She looked up into his eyes, and he felt his heart flutter. He moved closer, almost gathering her in his arms.

"Tuxedo Kamen-sama…" She coughed faintly, covering hr mouth as she shook her head weakly. "No, I've got to help them! They can't do this without me!" She tried to rise again, hardly struggling against his arms, but he pushed her back again, smiling gently.

"You're not going to help them by getting yourself killed. Besides, I think they have it under control." She looked off to the side briefly, then looked back. His face was very close to hers, and she suddenly felt that nervous twinge. He hovered close to her for a moment, then pulled back.

"You know, you actually do really well with that scene." She blushed a little as he released her and sat back a ways. She felt cold for a few seconds as her body rushed to make up the difference he had put there, holding her. "Of course, you keep freezing up at that one part, but the pain you do really well. It's quite believable." She blushed again. _If only he knew the nights I've spent bleeding on rooftops. He probably hasn't ever felt the pain I've known._

"I'm just doing my job." He smiled gently.

"Well you're doing it well. Let's work on another scene that Mr. Mamoto will want us to have ready for next week."

They worked well into the late afternoon hours. They stood up, they embraced (which of course set Mamoru's head spinning), they danced around in imitations of battle, and they even fought each other somewhat. Usagi didn't realize it, but she was growing more and more comfortable with this man she had despised so much. She even liked being around him, a little. A very little. The sun was hanging low in the sky when they finally called a break for dinner.

**Pretend Line Break!**

Usagi sat across the table from Mamoru in a casual, but still classy restaurant. She raised her eyebrows behind the menu at how expensive the food was. It wasn't really bad, but she had only planned on lunch and a little snack money. She heard a chuckle from the other side of the table.

"Order anything you want, Odango, it's on me. You've really helped me out a lot by rehearsing with me today and I appreciate it. Plus, you deserve it. You've been working hard." She blushed faintly, then stuck her tongue out at him.

"I'm going to order the most expensive thing on the menu just 'cause you called me Odango again. Do I have to keep asking you to call me Usagi? I really do go by that name, my mom even thought it was nice when I was born, which is why she NAMED me that!" He suppressed the urge to laugh as a few other customers turned to look at her outburst. He just smiled and nodded.

They didn't talk a whole lot through dinner, mostly it was Usagi exclaiming over how good the food was and Mamoru smiling his secretive little smiles. In time it was almost as though she forgot she was there with him, but that she was out to have fun with a friend. That warmed his heart, thinking that she might consider him in that way at least. He wasn't sure if she'd ever be completely comfortable with him, but getting past the animosity for an hour was good enough for now.

**Pretend Line Break!**

After dinner they walked back out to the park again to help get rid of that sleepiness that comes from stuffing one's face so much. They wandered over by the fountain, where they had met earlier in the day. The sun had sunk below the horizon and lights were coming on in the park. The world was taking on that odd, ethereal glow it got when it was just foggy enough at night. They sat on the wide edge of the fountain, not speaking for a long time. Lights in the fountain's base lit up the sides of their faces, pushing back some of the darkness for awhile. Eventually Usagi looked over at Mamoru, who seemed to be peering off into the darkness.

"See any interesting dark?" He turned to look at her, his eyes glimmering with curiosity. "You know, some dark that you're staring at that's different from the rest of the dark? You're staring awful hard." He smiled, something she had noticed he was doing a lot tonight. It made her feel kind of awkward, since she was so used to him just making fun of her and teasing her. What was she supposed to do with a nice Mamoru?

"I'm just thinking, Odango." Ah, there it was. "You know, something you don't do a whole lot of." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"You have no right to call me Odango, dork. That's not my name, and you know it. We've been over this thousands of times; I don't understand why you can't-"

Her words were cut off by a pair of soft lips pressing down on hers. She felt paralyzed, unable to move as Mamoru pinned her there with a simple, gentle kiss. She hadn't known there was this kind of a side to him, or to any guy. The way he gently cupped her face with one hand, the tenderness she felt emanating from him, the warmth that filled her at his very touch. She wanted to gasp, but the air had been sucked out of her and replaced with all the melting feelings she was experiencing. He pulled away, and as she looked up at him through her lashes, she felt a rush of excitement. _What is this feeling?_ He smiled at her, and she felt like she would faint.

"Think you can do that on the big screen now, Odango?" He was quivering inside, his heart racing, but he couldn't let her know that. Just doing that had taken so much from him, he wasn't ready to face it all at once. So he tossed out a little line. He meant the name endearingly, really. It was like a nickname for your good buddy, one that you happened to be head over heels for. He meant it with the best intentions, though his mouth seemed to work a lot faster than his brain or his heart did. What he really meant to say was something witty like, 'Wow, you've sure taken away my stage fright' or 'Usagi, I love you more than anything else in the world, and I can't think of anything I'd rather do than do that again'. Or maybe not. But it was supposed to be witty, and cute, and charming, and everything he wanted it to be for Usagi.

That's the funny thing about best intentions. They don't mean a whole lot when you've been shoved into a fountain on a chilly evening and the girl you're in love with stomps away with your pride.


	6. Act 5: Discord

**A/N:** Hello readers! Here is a short chapter to tide you over while I work some things out. Fortunately, because of the holiday, I've had some writing time! (Plus a lot of reading of fluffy things to help inspire me). I'm hopefully going to put out another chapter today or tomorrow, I just wanted to get this up for you to read. Please enjoy!

By the way, I've really been thinking about The Longest Trip Ever. I may rustle up where I wrote down most of the next chapter and type it up and finish it soon! I really hope so, I miss working on that story. Ja!

Serenity-hime

**Act 5: Discord**

She had actually shoved him into the fountain. He just couldn't believe it. He wandered around the next day, still puzzled at why she would actually want to shove him in the fountain. Well, he knew he had said something stupid, and he knew he should have been more caring but he _had_ tried to make everything special for her. She may not have realized it but it had meant a lot to him too. And then there was the bit with the fountain and her stomping off.

Mamoru sighed heavily. There wasn't a whole lot he could do right now, in any case. She probably wouldn't talk to him in the next few eternities, so he would just have to figure out what to do to calm her down. This was going to absolutely kill their performance for the film, and he felt guilty that he had done it. He had managed to simultaneously ruin his chances with her and her future acting career.

Suddenly he looked up and realized he was standing at the fountain. He glared at it for a moment before realizing he was glaring at a fountain and probably looked very silly. He looked around to see only one or two people looking at him strangely and decided to go sit down for a bit on a park bench.

It wasn't too incredibly long that he sat there with his head in his hands, wondering what smooth moves he could pull off to get her back when he heard the tinkling of laughter floating over to him. He looked up sharply to see Usagi walking with her friends away from the ice cream booth. She was smiling, happily eating away at an innocent scoop of ice cream as she and her friends headed somewhere. Before he knew what was happening, he had stood up and his feet were taking him towards her.

She saw him coming, and she tried to ignore him. She tried to hurry the girls away, but when she started acting strangely and avoiding looking in that one direction, they realized Mamoru was coming over. She hadn't told them about what happened last night, and wasn't sure she was going to. Unfortunately he caught up with her, and grabbed her arm to keep her from running away.

"Usagi, I need to talk to you." She pulled her arm from his grasp and circled around to face him.

"About what, how much of a jerk you are? Jeez, why don't you go bother some other girls who actually _want_ you around?" She rolled her eyes and he grimaced. That had hurt.

"I know you don't want to talk to me, but we need to talk." He looked pointedly at her friends. "In private." Mina patted her on the back.

"We'll be over by the lake Usagi-chan, take your time." In a flash, the girls were gone with Mina's laughter trailing behind. Usagi had the distinct feeling she'd been set up for this.

"Fine, say whatever it is you want to say so I can go." He frowned.

"I wanted to apologize for last night." Now it was her turn to frown. This, she hadn't been expecting. "I was trying to help you out with the movie and everything, and I guess I took it too far. And I'm sorry about what I said; I didn't really mean it like that." She snorted and looked away. He grasped her chin firmly in his hand and turned her head so she was looking directly into his eyes. "I mean it. I wasn't trying to hurt you, I just wanted to help."

"Why were you such a jerk then? You at least could have been nice about it." She frowned, and he sighed.

"Usagi I _tried_ to be nice about it. I knew it meant a lot to you, and I wanted to make everything special." She still had that stubborn look on her face. "Look, I couldn't watch you throw away a potential movie career, and I wanted it to be something you'd remember." Anger flashed in her eyes.

"Oh yeah it's something I'll remember. A jerk like _you_ goes and makes me think you're a nice guy, then you go and steal my first kiss and treat me like a jerk. How can I forget something like that? Look who's the idiot now!" She was going to turn and stomp away when she heard his voice, soft and tender.

"I'm really sorry, Usagi. I don't know how I could ever make it up to you." She turned to look at him, her anger melting away. His eyes seemed a little shiny, almost like he was going to cry. Which was completely ridiculous, of course. Jerks like him didn't know how to cry. "I'm sorry I hurt you, and I'm sorry I ruined something so precious to you. I was trying to help you move past that block you had put on yourself, and help you grow as an actress and a person." Her heart was melting into tiny little puddles at the sadness on his face. "I only hope you can ever forgive me." She made herself roll her eyes and heave a resigned sigh.

"I guess I have to, since we have to work together. But don't get any more ideas and don't try stealing anything else from me!" He smiled at her, and she felt warm inside. Maybe it wasn't so bad after all…but he was still a jerk. Unfortunately that was something she would just have to deal with, something she'd have to just get over. Now it was her turn to be quiet and timid.

"Mamoru, there's something I want to ask you, but I'm not sure how." This definitely piqued his interest. She had gone from hot to cold to somewhere in between in a flash, and now she was suddenly timid again. What could she possibly want to ask him that would change her so quickly?

"You can ask me anything, Odango." He grinned as some of her old temper returned.

"Well I'm not going to ask you, now! You're such a jerk! How could I have ever thought you would help me?" He chuckled. This was the Usagi he knew, the one he fought with. This wasn't the same kind of anger she was showing earlier, this was the playfulness that he liked in her.

"Well you've already gone and said you need my help, you might as well spill, blondie." She stuck her tongue out at him, and then immediately sobered up again, surprising him once more. _What is it with women and mood swings? You'd think she needed medication for that or something._

"I, well…I want to ask you to help me with something, but I'm sort of embarrassed to ask you for it." He sighed.

"Usagi, just ask me. You don't have to worry about anything from me."

"You won't laugh at me?" She looked up at him shyly from under her lashes and he smiled. She was so adorable, he just wanted to scoop her up and kiss her. Not that he would let her know that.

"No, Odango. I won't laugh at you." She made a halfhearted attempt to stick her tongue out at him again, but it didn't seem very sincere. She took a deep breath, and spoke in a very quite voice.

"I was wondering if you'd help me practice some more." He blinked. What exactly was she asking of him? Was she asking what he _thought_ she was asking? What he _hoped_ she was asking? He cleared his throat.

"Sure, Usagi, we can practice lines some more. I think I have my script in my jacket here somewhere." He opened his jacket and reached into the inner pocket, looking for his script when he felt her hand reach out and tentatively touch his arm. He froze, looking up at her and realized she had moved much closer to him. She was blushing furiously, almost quivering under his gaze. He was pretty sure his heart had stopped beating, even though he could hear the sound of it roaring in his ears. She licked her lips as though they were dry and spoke again in that quiet, tiny voice.

"I didn't mean practicing lines." The redness of her cheeks probably doubled at that point, and her talking speed kicked into overdrive. "I mean I do want to practice lines! We need to practice our lines definitely because those are sooo important and I've got a lot to work on but you know there's other stuff and I really sound silly asking about this so I think I'll just head home and bury my head under a pillow now bye!" She started to back off and was probably going to run.

"Usagi." She wouldn't look at him. "Usagi?" She stared at her feet, her cheeks about as red as the darkest roses. He grasped her chin firmly in his hand again, turning her face up towards his. "Of course I'll help you. Don't be embarrassed to ask for something like that." Her blush was fading a little, though she still looked panicked. "After all, this is just for the movie, right? Nothing to worry about." He noticed her blush a little deeper. _Interesting_. "Hey look, we're both becoming professionals, and this is just a part of our jobs. Just think of me as your coworker." She smiled a little.

"Yeah I guess that's true. I just feel so…ridiculous." He ruffled her hair a little with his hand as he let go of her chin.

"Let's head back to my place, we probably want somewhere a little more private than the park to, er, work on our lines." She blushed again, her eyes dropping as she nodded.

"Oh, um, I need to go tell the girls where I'm going so they don't worry, I'll be right back!" He smiled as she whirled away to go tell her friends they were going to go work on their lines for tomorrow. His inner self was smirking at him. _Professionalism indeed. Coworkers, huh? All in the name of the film. Oh boy you're good, Chiba. What will you come up with next._ He silenced the mental voice and tried not to think too much about what was about to happen, otherwise he'd probably start giggling like a little girl.


	7. Act 6: Tension

**A/N:** This has been half-written for awhile. I'm looking forward to finishing this, but I think it will stretch out for a bit. There's still so much to happen in the story, and Usagi and Mamorus eem to be taking their time to get to the good stuff! I'll try to put out another chapter soon - I'm very busy with the end of classes/exams right now, but writing is helping to keep me sane. I'm also working on a one-shot I think you'll enjoy. Please R&R!

Serenity-hime

* * *

**Act 6: Tension**

Mamoru unlocked the door, slipped off his shoes, and disappeared around the corner, probably into the living room or the kitchen. Usagi watched him go and stepped slowly into his apartment. She closed the door and slipped her shoes off, trying to keep her breathing slow and even. Why had she even gotten into this in the first place? It's not like she couldn't just deal with it on set, so why did she make herself ask him for this horrible, terrible, awful favor? She shook her head, stepping deeper into the cool darkness of his apartment.

The living room was very neat, with a small coffee table and an overstuffed couch set that looked incredibly comfy. Everything seemed to be in shades of blue and cream, with dark blue curtains covering the windows and letting in little bits of sunlight here and there. She looked down at the odd shade of blue her skin had turned in this ethereal light and felt like she was on another planet. Maybe this wasn't real; maybe she had somehow fallen asleep and was dreaming. It's not like she'd really be here, about to do this. Right?

There was a clattering in the kitchen, so she went to investigate. Mamoru was laying out some cookies and pouring a couple glasses of milk. A smile crossed her face as she watched silently from the entrance. He always seemed so serious when he wasn't teasing her. And who would have thought he had cookies in his house? She was half-expecting tofu chunks and soymilk. He looked up as she stepped in to help carry out the snacks (letting him take the milk so she could start chowing down on Oreos, of course). They set the snacks down on the table in the living room and he switched on a couple of standing lamps to shed some light.

Cookies were dunked and eaten, milk disappeared quickly from their glasses, and afterwards they sat in silence for a bit, each wondering what they should do now. Finally Mamoru cleared his throat, making Usagi jump a little. He didn't realize just how terrified she was feeling at the moment, so he pulled out his script and flipped a few pages until he found a good scene. He showed it to her.

"Let's start with this scene. It's pretty emotional, and it'll give each of us a chance to critique each other before we try to do this on the screen. Plus if we get any good ideas about placement we can share them tomorrow." She nodded slowly, feeling a little numb. He looked at her expectantly, and when she didn't respond he spoke again. "Well, if you'd like to work on it let's get going." He stood up and helped her up off of the other couch. They walked to the middle of the room and she turned away from him as he motioned for her to begin. After a moment of hesitation she turned back.

"Where do you want me to start?" He glanced down at the page he was on.

"Um, let's try from where you're looking out over the city, starting with the line 'I don't know what to do'." She nodded and turned away, taking a deep breath. Her form slumped a little, and he could almost hear her sadness before she spoke.

"I just don't know what to do. I can't keep doing this anymore."

"Can't keep doing what?" She turned towards him, startled.

"What are you doing here?" He smiled, cupping her face gently with his right hand.

"You know I had to come. After what happened…" She turned away, a tear sliding down her face. _Wow, she's really getting into this. I guess she's more serious about this than I thought._

"You shouldn't have come. You know that we can't go on like this anymore." He frowned a little, taking his hand away, but his smile came back quickly.

"That's ridiculous. We'll be just fine." She turned back suddenly, tears falling much faster.

"They're going to find out about us! They think you're our enemy and they're trying to keep us apart! I don't know what they would do if they knew everything. I just can't keep doing this; I can't lead this double life any longer." He chuckled.

"Don't you mean triple life? I'm sure you've got an alter-ego there somewhere." She sighed.

"This isn't the time to be funny, Tuxedo Kamen. We've got a lot of problems, and right now the girls are trying to hunt you down. They think you're working for _them_." His face got serious.

"You know I'm not, don't you?" She looked up into his eyes for a moment, then nodded. "That's all we need. You know how I feel about you, and I'll defend that to the death if I have to. I love you." Tears sparkled on her cheeks, and he pulled her close, pressing his lips softly against hers.

The two of them stood that way for a moment, him holding her close and her surrendering to him, lost in the moment. Her heart was racing, and for a moment she was Sailor Moon, and he was Tuxedo Kamen, and everything was perfect. She felt lost amongst the clouds and thought, _this is what heaven must be like_. And then he was pulling away, leaving her weak and dizzy, and the moment was over.

Mamoru stood back and looked down at Usagi with her eyes still closed and was speechless. This movie had to be the best thing that had ever happened to him, bringing him here in this moment. He felt a rush of emotion as she opened her eyes slowly, a light blush on her cheeks, a little bit of the mist still in her eyes. He wasn't sure if she was still lost in the scene or if she was lost in reality, but at the moment he didn't really care. This was all he needed.

There was a still, tense moment as they looked into each other's eyes, Usagi's wide and startled, and his trying to hide the concern and worry that was building up inside of him. Finally she tore her eyes away to fidget with her script, and he cleared his throat. He decided he should speak first.

"That was…uh, that was good, Usagi." A deep blush spread across her cheeks. "No, really, I mean that was really good, very realistic." Her blush intensified, and he quickly moved on. Now that they had jumped that first hurdle, it was actually a lot easier to keep going than he would have imagined.

They worked on lines for a good, long time, what felt like hours to both of them. Each time they came to a scene where they had to kiss there was that brief pause; there was that moment of hesitation and insecurity, and then they would embrace and their lips would meet softly and quickly, never letting it last like the first one had. Slowly Usagi opened up and was able to cope better, and she seemed to lose some of her self-consciousness.

When it came time for her to leave, she gathered her things quietly and tried to avoid looking at him. Of course he was on cloud nine, feeling like this was the best day of his whole life, but he was worried something was wrong with her, that he had hurt her somehow. He reached out and touched her shoulder with a gentle hand.

"Usagi?" She looked up at him, her eyes bright and surprisingly happy. He had worried she was hiding tears, but she seemed completely different from what he had expected. What did it mean? "Look, you've done really well, and you've been a good sport. Tomorrow, we're going to blow Mr. Mamoto's socks off, so don't worry about that. And don't ever, ever lose that innocence that you have. It's very unique, and very special." She smiled up at him.

"Thank you, Mamoru. I'm sorry I was so angry earlier, but it's just something I've had trouble dealing with. Maybe now we'll even stun the girls!" A giggle escaped her, and for a long, almost uncomfortable moment, they stood there, as if expecting something. He wasn't sure what he was thinking, but he almost felt like he should be leaning over to kiss her goodnight. Before he shook himself out of his daze, she had turned to go. The door clicked closed after her, and he kicked himself for not following his heart. At least there was always tomorrow.


	8. Act 7: Surprise

**A/N:** Surprise! I have another update, this time for Acting Out. I'm highly amused that while this story was created to help me fill in the gaps writing The Longest Trip Ever, this has been more in demand for updates. I'm going to be writing some more and hopefully I'll have another chapter out soon. I'm sorry the chapters are so short, but I would just rather get out some more story to you guys as fast as possible. To update: There will be a sequel to TLTE, but I can't say when. I plan on finishing this story first, so I don't have another unfinished story sitting on the shelf for awhile. I've had a couple requests about The Heart of Crystal Tokyo, and sadly I can't say when I'll be updating it. I need to get reimmersed into the KH world, and Acting Out will be finished first. The Falling Rain won't have any more chapters, no sequel, it's a one-shot, and it's meant to be mysterious :)

Please read and review, and I hope you enjoy. This one has a bit more action than usual.

Serenity-hime

* * *

**Act 7: Surprise**

Usagi hadn't slept very well that night. Her mind was full of the day's events, and what the next day of filming would bring. A profound sense of confusion was filling her as she contemplated it all – her practice with Mamoru, the prospect of kissing him in front of dozens of people including the girls, and every now and then her mind even drifted to Tuxedo Kamen. She had always been so sure of how she felt about him, but for some reason she found she was really enjoying working on the movie instead of waiting for their next meeting. It was a blessing that there hadn't been any attacks by youma lately; she didn't think she could juggle that with trying to remember lines and wake up early for filming.

After rolling out of bed around five in the morning, Usagi slowly managed to pull on some clothes and wobble her way down to get some breakfast. As she pushed open the door to the kitchen, smells of bacon and pancakes drifted out, and she eagerly went inside to find her mother cooking away at the stove, suddenly finding a burst of energy. Ikuko smiled at her daughter as she took a seat and poured herself a glass of milk.

"I thought you might like a decent breakfast for once instead of running out the door with toast." Usagi grinned up at her a she came over to put some pancakes on her plate. She began digging in with vigor, gulping down the pancakes with surprising speed. Ikuko laughed. "Don't inhale it, you're going to get a bellyache. I didn't think your breakfast habits had gotten quite that bad." Usagi chuckled and wolfed down some more food before popping up and grabbing her bag. She leaned over and gave her mom a kiss on the cheek before running out the door, leaving Ikuko laughing and picking up after her.

Realizing she was running late, Usagi hurriedly put up her hair as she jogged along, mumbling lines to herself and thinking about the scenes she would be doing that day. Some of the same ones she had been stumbling over, as well as some fight scenes. She was looking forward to finally getting to do some of the less dialogue-heavy scenes, and she was trying not to think about the others. It would be fun to see the girls in shock, but she was feeling incredibly nervous.

A short while later, she was climbing into her Sailor Moon costume and heading out to the set. Butterflies whirled around in her stomach as she moved to her place and saw Mamoru entering the set in his Tuxedo Kamen costume. He smiled reassuringly at her, and she gave him a timid smile in return as he turned to the side to speak with the director. Mumbling lines to herself and trying to get mentally prepared for the upcoming scenes, she saw her friends entering the set in their respective costumes. They all waved to her and walked off to a small area to warm up for the upcoming fight scenes. Soon enough the director was calling for the scene and Mamoru was walking over towards her.

The scene started, and she immersed herself into the role. Not that it was so very hard to imagine herself as Sailor Moon, being starry-eyed for Tuxedo Kamen. The lines fell from her lips like she had known them her whole life, and for the first time since starting this film, she was able to lose herself in the scene. She stopped worrying and thinking and just danced and wove her way through the scene.

The scene closed on their kiss, and she was so deeply involved that she forgot to hesitate and be nervous. As Tuxedo Kamen closed in, her eyes slid closed and her hands snaked around his waist. It was only after the director spoke and Makoto started whooping from the sidelines that reality hit her. Mamoru was pulling away, and her knees started to wobble beneath her. Luckily she was able to stand up straight a flash a grin at her friends. Makoto was pumping one fist in the air and laughing, Mina was grinning, and Rei and Ami just seemed shocked. Usagi managed a weak laugh before moving to run the scene again.

A few takes later, and after having some time for her heart to stop pounding in her chest, Usagi and the girls headed toward where they would be filming the fight scene. They had been working very hard on the choreography, and they were all excited to be doing some real action work. Makoto especially had been concerned that they would just be doing silly girly stuff like cartwheels and spinning around, but thankfully the director saw the senshi as actual fighters.

While they waited for everyone to get set up, the girls practiced a few tumbles on the mats available. They wouldn't be allowed to do some of the more dangerous stunts, especially since they were minors, but they would at least get to do some real work with some top-notch fighters who would be playing the youma. Usagi was stretching out while she watched the girls do some moves – Makoto was currently doing a takedown on Rei, which made her grin. She was reaching down to adjust a boot when there was a loud crash, followed by screams.

Shrapnel from the broken set was thrown up in the air, and evidently something had caught on fire as smoke started billowing up from behind the set for the fighting scenes. People turned and started to run as Usagi and the girls stared in horror at the gaping hole in the set. Out of it arose a horrendous youma – and angry, vicious thing with many teeth and four long, barbed tentacles. It was large and heavy, and was laying waste to everything around it. Mako looked desperately towards Mina, who shook her head and gestured at the cameras, but Usagi was already in motion.

She vaulted a beam that had fallen next to her and sprinted towards the youma, who was trying to grab at an extra who hadn't run away fast enough. Yelling out something she couldn't even hear, she tore her tiara from her forehead as she ran at the youma, closing in on it fast. It was turning towards her as she brought her tiara up and whipped it forward. It flew through the air straight and true, striking the youma directly in the chest, where it bounced off.

There was almost a surreal silence in the air as the piece of scrap metal fell and clattered against the ground. Usagi didn't even have time to be afraid as it left the extra it had been chasing and it lunged towards her; all she could register was the shock and confusion, not realizing why her attack had no effect. A tentacle covered in long, thick barbs shot towards her, and a scream tore from her throat just as something very solid connected with her and threw her a few feet to the left.

There was a sick crunch as she hit the cement floor of the studio, and brilliant lights burst within her eyes as the wind was knocked out of her. As her vision returned, the reality set in and pain shot through her side. Someone was rolling her onto her back, and she was reasonably sure that she had broken at least one rib. Lightning crackled overhead as a very familiar face swam into view. Her voice was weak and hoarse.

"Tuxedo Kamen?" He tore off his hat and mask, and she was shocked to see Mamoru.

"No, Usagi it's me. The movie, remember?" She nodded carefully. "Are you ok? I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I think I broke a rib when I landed. It hurts to breathe too deeply." Pain lanced through her side as she felt a hand gently probe her side, and it was all she could do not to scream.

"I think you did too. At least that's the worst of your injuries." The concern on Mamoru's face swiftly turned to anger. "What the hell were you thinking, Usagi? You can't hurt a youma; you can barely manage the stunts for the movie. You're not Sailor Moon. You could have been _killed_. That was incredibly reckless of you." She grimaced. Finally, it was setting in. She had tried to attack a youma as a civilian, all because she was in this stupid costume. She had actually _tried_ to attack it with costume jewelry. It wasn't as though she could tell him that she really was Sailor Moon, so she just turned away.

"Forgive me for trying to save someone." Suddenly she remembered where they were. "The youma! It's going to kill people!" Mamoru held her down as she struggled to get up, crying out as it felt like someone was stabbing her in the side with a jagged knife.

"It's fine, Usagi, be still. A couple of the senshi showed up and they're taking care of it. At least the real Sailor Moon didn't show up to see you trying to take her job." He chuckled, and gestured to where Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus had just finished taking out the youma. Sailor Jupiter walked over and knelt beside Usagi. She looked up at Mamoru with a strange glint in her eyes.

"Are you ok?" Usagi nodded slowly.

"I think I broke at least one rib." Mamoru looked up at Jupiter, who kept looking over to glare at him.

"Stop looking at me like that – if I hadn't tackled her she'd likely be dead. We need to get her to a hospital, not bicker over what happened." Jupiter frowned, and then nodded. As gently as possible, she lifted Usagi into her arms, who screamed as she was jarred. It was too much for her, and she fainted.

"I'm taking her to the hospital in Azabu. If you want to see her, you'll find her there under the care of Dr. Mizuno." Jupiter stood and sprinted off, leaping up through the large hole in the studio's roof along with Sailor Venus. Mamoru knelt on the floor, staring at where Usagi had been laying a moment before. Eventually he stood and walked away, knowing he would probably spend the night mulling over everything that had just happened.


	9. Act 8: Intermission

**A/N:** This chapter is kind of a short one, but it's a little necessary to resolve the last chapter and set up the next one. I'm plotting some good stuff, so please be patient as I try to sort it all out. Please enjoy this little tidbit and I'll get more out to you soon. Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed!

Serenity-hime

* * *

**Act 8: Intermission**

Usagi was lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling. She was in the hospital waiting for Dr. Mizuno to come back with her x-rays. The pain in her side had mostly subsided as long as she wasn't moving around, for which she was incredibly grateful. It made her feel so ridiculous, passing out and being carried to the hospital by Makoto, who was outside trying to reach her mom. That was exactly what she didn't need – a bunch of people standing around her bed feeling sorry for her, telling her how they would be here every second she was here.

The scene from the studio played out over and over in her mind. It was so childish, so _stupid_ of her to attack that youma the way she had. There was a part of her that wondered if she would ever get over such a blunder. She had been a senshi for awhile now and it wasn't as though she couldn't tell when she was transformed. Instinct had just taken over, and instead of being cautious she had jumped right in and made an idiot out of herself in front of the girls, the crew, and even Mamoru.

Mamoru. Involuntarily her thoughts wandered to him. In all likeliness he had probably saved her life, and probably thought she had the intelligence of a light pole after what had happened. It's not like she could blame him, given what she had done. There was a feeling of sadness tickling at the back of her mind, but she was currently ignoring it. After all, what did it really matter if he thought worse of her now? They could still work together, provided she could walk.

There was a knock at the door, and with a wince she called for the person to come in. Dr. Mizuno was probably back with her x-rays to tell her how she had broken five ribs and wouldn't be able to finish the movie or something equally horrible. The door slowly sung open and instead of Dr. Mizuno, a head of shaggy black hair poked its way around the corner. Her heart fluttered a little when the door opened a little more and Mamoru stepped inside her room holding a bouquet of roses. She was more than a little puzzled, but she beckoned for him to come in.

Cautiously he closed the door and walked over to her bedside, proffering the roses he was carrying. She could help but smile and reached up to take them, holding them to her face and inhaling their sweet scent. Usagi broke the silence first.

"What are these for?" Mamoru shrugged. He looked rather uncomfortable and she gestured to a chair next to her bed, which he took.

"Well, I thought you might want a friendly face, or to be cheered up. I wasn't sure what kind of flowers you like so I just got you some roses."

"Roses are fine. They're my favorite, in fact." She chuckled, which in turn caused her to wince and gasp as she jostled her side. Mamoru frowned and looked down at his shoes.

"I also…I came to say I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I feel terrible that you're in here instead of me." Something inside of Usagi's heart melted, and she inexplicably felt like she wanted to cry. Instead she reached out and grasped one of Mamoru's clenched hands with her own.

"Don't be sorry. You saved my life, and what's a little pain in the beg scheme of things?" He looked up to see her sunny smile, and wondered at how she could seem so upbeat with everything that had happened.

Just then there was a knock at the door and Dr. Mizuno entered. She raised an eyebrow at Usagi's hand on top of Mamoru's, which Usagi quickly withdrew. A blush spread across her cheeks as she realized what that must have looked like. They hadn't been holding hands or anything; she had just tried to reassure him. Dr. Mizuno smiled gently and walked over to the light board where they could look at x-rays. She took some films out of an envelope and stuck them up on the board, and glanced over at Mamoru.

"Young man, it might be best if you stepped outside for the time being."

"It's ok, he's a good friend of mine Mrs. Mizuno. I wouldn't mind him staying any more than I would Ami or Makoto." Dr. Mizuno nodded and flipped on the light to reveal pictures of her ribcage. Mamoru peeked around the doctor at Usagi, who was looking up at her x-rays. Had she really just referred to him as a good friend? Had they come so far in the few precious weeks they had spent together? His heart skipped a beat, and he tried not to grin as they went over what was wrong with Usagi, which would have been highly inappropriate to say the least.

"Well Miss Tsukino, it seems that you've been very fortunate. You don't seem to have any breaks or fractures, not even torn cartilage in your chest. It seems that you've managed to give a couple ribs some rather nasty bruising, but it's not serious." She turned towards Usagi and began scribbling on her chart. "I'm going to give you some medication for inflammation, which should also help with the pain. If it doesn't seem to be working come back and see me, but otherwise you should be fine with bed rest. Try not to do anything physically strenuous for the next couple weeks or so, but normal activities should be fine, and your ribs will heal in that time. The worst of the pain typically disappears after a day or two. Any questions?"

"So no sumo wrestling for a couple weeks, I think I've got it. Is that really all?" Dr. Mizuno smiled.

"That's really all. I'm going to go finish your chart and as soon as your mom shows up to check you out you can be on your way. Try to lie on your back when you sleep, and spend at least a couple days without moving around too much."

"That shouldn't be too hard to manage, since every time I move it feels like someone's hitting me with a hammer. Thank you Dr. Mizuno." The doctor nodded and walked out of the room, leaving the two of them alone again. A long silence stretched out, broken only when Mamoru cleared his throat.

"Well, that's good news. I bet you can even be back to filming in a few days if you want." Usagi smiled.

"I think I can probably manage that. I guess I'll be out of here in a few minutes – I'm sure my mom's well on her way by now." Mamoru stood up, understanding that she probably needed some time to be alone before she was bombarded by friends and family. Before he could walk towards the door she reached out and grasped his hand again, without blushing this time. "Mamoru, I want to thank you for saving me. I don't know where I'd be right now if you hadn't done that for me." He smiled down at her, squeezing her hand softly before letting go.

"Don't worry about it Usagi. I could have just stood there and watched you get hurt. Just try not to jump into the path of oncoming youma." He grinned at her and skipped out of the room before she could retaliate, and a pillow thumped into the door just as it clicked shut.

* * *

As predicted, her mother and friends had surrounded her and exclaimed, making the appropriate noises and comments. She was so lucky, and thank goodness she was alright, and they would help as much as they could, and if she needed anything at all to just let them know. Usagi saw Rei start to open her mouth a couple times, only to be elbowed by Makoto or Mina. She had to assume that they had given Rei a talking to about teasing her friend while she was still in the hospital. It wasn't long before she was laying on the couch at home, all of her friends sitting around the living room dutifully trying to entertain her since she was mostly couch-bound.

In another stroke of luck, Mr. Mamoto had put off filming for a couple days while the studio was cleaned up and a new set could be built. Given the assurances of Ami's mother, Usagi thought she would probably be up to walking around by the time they got back to filming, although Mr. Mamoto had evidently also passed along word that she was not to be in any fight scenes until her ribs had completely healed and she was cleared by her doctor. They would instead focus on scenes where the fighting didn't involve her character, as well as some of the non-fighting scenes.

The girls stayed around for much of the afternoon, watching movies and chatting. They tried to make the best of a bad day. After a few hours, Usagi was tired and the girls left so she could get some rest. The shadows lengthened and her eyes fell closed. She drifted off to sleep, floating away into the world of dreams.

* * *

She was standing on a balcony, but she didn't know where she was. An ethereal fog had rolled in off the sea, blanketing the land before her. A thick tension hung in the air, so dense that she thought she might choke on it. Something was coming, but she had no idea what it could be, or where it was coming from, or what it might mean for her or her people. _My people?_ Suddenly chilled, she turned away from the scene before her and moved to walk inside.

A man had been standing behind her, hidden in the shadows. He stepped forward now, but she still couldn't see his face. Regardless, she knew he was smiling – almost smirking. When he spoke his voice was hard to distinguish but it had a dark, soft tone that struck something deeply within her heart.

"Still staring out at the night, wondering who you are? You haven't changed much at all." The chill shook her again and she drew her arms tightly around her, realizing for the first time that she was wearing a sleeveless white dress of some light material.

"Who are you?" His laughter was a deep rumble.

"I think that is not the question you have come to ask. Though you have many questions, there is one that you're seeking the answer to more than any other. When you figure out the question, don't hesitate to come back and ask again."

He raised a gloved hand and made a dismissing gesture towards her, and the world began to grow fuzzy and surreal. The light almost seemed to invert, the shadows becoming blinding. There was a brief moment when she could almost see his face before spiraling into darkness, and his voice echoed in her mind precious seconds before she jolted awake.

"Don't let him go."

She immediately fell back asleep, her dreams untroubled and unremembered.


	10. Act 9: Interlude

**A/N:** Another serious chapter. I'm hoping the next one will be much lighter, but unfortunately in any funny story there has to be moments of reflection and sincerity. I hope you guys enjoy it nonetheless. I'll try to have another one out soon! Thank you all so very much for your kind and thoughtful reviews, you have no idea how much it helps out a writer to see such wonderful words. It truly helps inspire me!

Serenity-hime

* * *

**Act 9: Interlude**

After another day of rest, the pain in Usagi's side had dissipated substantially. She felt well enough to walk around, so the girls had decided to take her out to the park for ice cream before filming resumed the following day. The five of them trooped along the path, laughing and talking about the movie. Apparently it had been long enough since her injury that Rei was allowed to pick on her, which she was currently reveling in. Usagi laughed and put up with it since there was a deep part of her that wanted them to laugh at her for what she had done. She certainly felt like she deserved it. Currently the girls were talking about what they wanted to do when the movie was done.

"I would so love to start my own cooking show, or maybe a restaurant." Makoto sighed dreamily, licking at her cone of strawberry ice cream. Mina laughed and waved her ice cream around.

"You're thinking way too small scale, Mako-chan. There are worlds of opportunity out there – you could star in movies or make your own albums!" Mina did a little twirl, which made the girls laugh. Ami shook her head.

"I'm just looking forward to getting back to my studies full-time. I have to worry about getting into a decent medical school!" Usagi and Mina both rolled their eyes.

"Ami, I think you worry waaay too much about studying. You should try to have more fun!" Usagi grinned at her blue-haired friend, who smiled back over a scoop of chocolate.

Usagi decided to listen to the girls chat some more as she turned her attentions back to her own cone of vanilla ice cream. She looked out over the park, admiring the golden tones of the setting sun touching everything. The girls even stopped talking for awhile, just to take some time to finish their ice cream and take in the view. Usagi was taking the last nibbles of her ice cream cone when there was a loud explosion nearby, and people started screaming.

Instantly the girls were on their toes, ice cream cast aside. Smoke was pluming up where the explosion was, and the park goers were fleeing from the area. From behind a copse of trees another youma emerged, this one sporting what looked like some kind of rocket launchers. This was promising to be a very dangerous fight. The girls looked at each other, their thoughts flickering across their faces. _Another attack so soon? Something's up._ The group dashed towards a nearby bathroom to transform.

After they ducked into the bathroom, Ami, Rei, and Mina all instantly transformed, but Makoto took Usagi aside before transforming.

"You're not coming, Usagi." Usagi opened her mouth to protest and Mako shook her head firmly, giving her a stern look. "You're still hurt, and if you were to get injured it could do some serious damage. None of us are willing to let you take that kind of risk. Just stay out of the way for this one, ok?" Usagi nodded, an unhappy look on her face. The three girls were running out, and Makoto transformed in a flash of light, dashing outside with Usagi on her heels.

The senshi were sprinting towards the youma, energy gathering around them as they summoned their strength. Usagi ran off to the side to watch, not wanting to get too close. Sadness filled her that she wouldn't be able to fight with them and protect them, yet she was struck with a deep sense of pride as she watched them go off into battle. They held themselves well, and she had no doubt that they would defeat this youma easily.

Mars closed in with a fireball, punching it into the youma's stomach as it howled with pain. It tried shooting off another rocket, which was really more of a solid fireball of sorts, but Mercury was there to freeze up the end of its shooters. Lightning was flashing overhead as Venus started to tie up the youma. It looked like the fight would be over in a matter of seconds, for which Usagi was incredibly thankful. No civilians had been injured, and the more they could minimize injuries the better it was for everyone.

Just as they almost had the youma subdued, and right before they could take it down, one arm wrenched free, the ice melting. The youma screamed in pain, blindly shooting around as it tried to escape. It failed to do so, but the shots were flying around wildly, landing everywhere. Usagi had a brief moment to reflect on the fact that it looked like all of the civilians had run out of the range of the youma's deadly attacks before she saw the solid ball of fire headed straight for her. It was so close that as she tried to scream the heat seared the breath from her, and all she could do was throw her arms up in front of her to try to protect herself.

After a moment she realized that the searing heat had been replaced with the cool air of the evening, and that something had clamped on to her. Rather, something was holding her, and she wasn't on the ground anymore. She peeked out from between her singed arms and saw her savior, who was evidently there for her even when she wasn't in her senshi form. Tuxedo Kamen smiled down at her as he landed a few feet away, setting her gently on the ground. A quick glance reassured her that the senshi had the youma under control, and she turned back to gaze into those deep blue eyes that were twinkling at her form behind a mask. Her heart fluttered in her chest when he spoke.

"You seem to have a knack for getting into trouble." He chuckled, and she lifted a hand to her ribs, which felt a little tender but were otherwise fine. She gave him a puzzled look.

"Were you there when the youma attacked the set? I didn't see you at all, just a couple of the senshi. And Mamoru of course, but he's just playing your role in the movie." He smiled and she blushed. She hadn't ever talked to him outside of being Sailor Moon and it felt a little awkward. Unsure of what to do or how to act, she shuffled her feet and looked away.

"Just because you didn't see me didn't mean I wasn't there. Generally I tend to make my appearances to save the damsel in distress and your - Mamoru, was it? – seemed to have that under control." Her blush intensified and she laughed nervously.

"I wouldn't call him _my_ Mamoru, we just work together and he plays you and I play Sailor Moon." A wolfish grin slowly spread across the hero's face, and he stepped closer to her. Butterflies were flitting around in her stomach and she backed up a little.

"Oh, but I'm sure there must be something romantic to playing Sailor Moon opposite to Tuxedo Kamen. After all, you must be excited to meet the real deal." He had closed the gap between them, and her heart was pounding wildly now.

"Well it's very nice to meet you, I suppose. Uh, thank you for saving me." He smiled down at her and she felt her skin begin to tingle as he leaned very close to her. Her mind was clouded with the scent of roses, and she felt like she could barely breathe as he put his arms around her and brought his lips toward hers. This would be the very first romantic kiss of her life – and from Tuxedo Kamen no less. His breath was warm on her lips, and her eyes were sliding closed when an image flitted through her mind and they snapped back open.

Suddenly she pushed on his chest and stumbled backwards, gasping for air. She managed to catch herself before she fell to the ground, and looked up to see the confusion in his beautiful blue eyes. Something tugged at her heart but she pushed it away, trying to ignore it as best she could. When she had regained her breath she spoke softly.

"I'm sorry. I can't do this." Feeling confusion cluttering up her mind, she turned to go when a gloved hand gripped hers and turned her around. Tuxedo Kamen was frowning, the puzzled expression still on his face.

"Why not? What's wrong, Usagi?" Her heart fluttered again. _How does he know my name?_ She paused a moment before responding.

"I've liked you for a really long time. You're the dashing super hero that every girl dreams about. I'm sure you have lots of fans who fawn over you all the time and…and of course Sailor Moon." Her chest tightened when she thought of that, but she would deal with that one in time too. "And I…well…there's someone else, someone that I'm not quite sure about. I don't know how I feel, but I know it wouldn't be honest to myself or either of you. Can you understand?" Slowly he nodded, the frown not leaving his face. He let go of her hand, turned, and leapt off with a flourish of his cape. Usagi sunk to the ground, feeling like she'd lost one of the best opportunities of her life.

After a few more minutes the girls rushed over after de-transforming to make sure she was alright. Only Mina had noticed what happened, but she kept it to herself. Usagi hadn't been harmed, and that was the most important thing. The girls ushered her home, talking quietly about the second youma attack in a row. Something was definitely up.

* * *

Mamoru sat down on the couch in his dark apartment, staring at the wall and wondering what Usagi had meant. He had thought to steal a true kiss from her in his other form – surely she would have gone with it. He had heard her talking with her friends about him, and they all were as gooey-eyed as the next teenage girl over the dashing hero. He hadn't ever really cared what other girls thought of him, but Usagi...

And then she had reminded him of Sailor Moon, as if to make him feel bad for trying to kiss her. His feelings for Sailor Moon had been sort of confusing as of late, given how much he cared for Usagi. Usagi was real and tangible, he could see her and talk to her and thanks to the movie he could be close to her almost every day, but the senshi was just distant and frustrating. She was beautiful for sure, and something had drawn him to her from the first time they met, but he had set those feelings aside a long time ago for Usagi. He would still be there to save Sailor Moon and any of the senshi who wound up in trouble, but he hadn't been quite as interested in finding secluded rescue spots with her to try and steal a kiss lately.

Could Usagi have been referring to him? His heart hoped it was so, but his mind refused to get too hopeful over it. He has known that she had a crush on Motoki, despite his having a girlfriend, and she most likely meant him. He would simply have to assume that was true and continue to try to get close to her. That small part of his heart wanted it to be him so desperately, but he put it aside until he knew. At least she hadn't been hurt again.

* * *

Usagi sat on her window seat, her window open as she looked up at the stars. She still hadn't changed out of her clothes and into her pajamas, and she hadn't eaten very much for dinner. A peculiar sensation had overtaken her like a foreign entity, and she had mostly floated through the evening lost in thought. What exactly had possessed her when she was pulling away from him like that? There was a large sense of…awkwardness building in her heart. It gave her goosebumps.

There was something comforting about sitting there in the moonlight. She leaned back and drew her knees up towards her, locking her arms around them. The silver moonlight wrapped around her, and she closed her eyes to enjoy the peculiar warmth that comes with the night. Sleep quickly whisked her away, carrying her off into her dreams.

* * *

An explosion went off somewhere nearby, and she shot upright. How had she wound up on the floor? She looked down at a strange, glass-like floor, the likes of which she had never seen. For that matter, why was she wearing a dress? She looked down and found herself wearing a creamy white dress that seemed very familiar, but she couldn't quite remember…

"Where am I?" she wondered aloud. As she started to stand, a voice echoed in her mind. _Always asking the wrong questions._ For a moment she stood there, mid-crouch as the voice faded, feeling an odd sense of déjà vu. Then another explosion rocked the building and she was thrown to the ground again, crying out as she was slammed into the ground. This time she got up quickly and started jogging down the hallway – she couldn't just stand there while whatever was happening happened.

She trotted past tall doorways and arches leading off to balconies and unknown rooms. The hallways were deserted, which seemed rather odd for such a large place. Aside from the previous explosions, there was hardly a sound in the place other than the clicking of her shoes on the glassy surface which rebounded off of the walls and gave a ghostly cadence that sent shivers down her spine.

She realized she was reaching the end of the hallway, and before her was a massive door inlaid with glittering jewels. Her breath caught and she clutched at a sudden pain filling her chest. The clattering stopped as she slowed down and put a tentative hand out towards the door, a sense of wrongness growing in her heart. Her hand touched the smooth wood and she trembled. What would she find on the other side?

Suddenly a hand grasped hers and she nearly screamed, realizing there was someone right behind her, almost encompassing her as he had reached around to stop her. That deep voice whispered in her ear.

"You have to ask the right question." Her vision began to blur, and consciousness left her as she realized that the hand was splattered with blood.

* * *

Usagi bolted up from her sitting position. A scream had been building in her throat, but the air had been sucked from her lungs. Her legs tangled and she fell to the floor, gasping for breath. Rather than try to get up again she just lay there and shook for awhile, waiting until the tremors stopped. After that she slowly got up and climbed into bed, her thoughts absorbed in the strange dream. What was going on here? When had life become so serious? Thankfully, a deep, dreamless sleep overtook her quickly.

* * *

**A/N:** I apologize for such a harsh ending, but there's more to come, and of course explanations. Please tell me what you think!


	11. Act 10: Fortitude

**A/N:** Hello again everyone! I'm sorry the updates have been a little few and far between - school has just taken over my life! I've had bunches of papers, tests, and lab practicals, and then I was out of town for Spring Break. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter! It's not a funny one, but I promise I'll try to keep it a little less serious in future chapters. I'm already hard at work on the next chapter! See you soon!

Serenity-hime

* * *

**Act 10: Fortitude**

The next day Usagi woke up determined. She got up an extra hour early, hurried through getting ready and dashed off before her mother could even offer her some breakfast. Remnants of the night drifted in and out of her thoughts, and she did her best to push them away. Instead she focused on the sound of her shoes hitting the pavement, and the thumping of her heart as she jogged down the sidewalk. A deep ache filled her chest, but she ignored it and kept going. She placed one foot in front of the other and made her way, trying not to think.

After a good distance, she made her way to her destination. Stopping for a moment to catch her breath, she looked up at the sign of the Cherry Hill Temple and felt a renewal of purpose. Taking two steps at a time, she bounded up the steps to find the raven-haired priestess. When she knocked on the door to the temple, it was Rei who answered, looking surprised to see Usagi show up so early and gasping for air.

"Usagi, what are you doing here? And so out of breath – you didn't run did you? You know that you should be taking it easy with your ribs and all." Usagi shook her head.

"I needed to come see you before we go back to shooting. I need your help." Usagi could see the retort hanging on the very tip of Rei's tongue, but instead of making a joke she beckoned for her to come in. Relief filled her – the priestess must have realized how serious Usagi was. As she stepped inside, she turned to face Rei. "I've been having some weird dreams lately." Rei motioned for her to follow her down the hall and into her room, and Usagi pulled the door shut behind her.

Twenty minutes later, both girls sat cross-legged on the floor, sipping at tea as Usagi finished telling Rei about her dreams. She had tried to recall everything, though some parts were very hazy. Rei had listened patiently, nodding every now and then, and at some point she had produced a small notebook and made some scribbles in it. When the blonde had finished, Rei looked over her notes and reflected before speaking.

"From the way you've explained it to me, these don't seem like ordinary dreams." The priestess looked up from her notes, her violet eyes serious. "In all honesty, most people don't even have control over their dreams. They sort of float along as observers, even when they believe that they are making 'conscious' choices. It seems to me that you're actively participating in your dreams." Usagi nodded slowly.

"I kind of felt that way. Like I was really there, and everything that happened was because of what I chose to do even though it didn't really feel like I was making those choices. It was really weird."

"I'm not sure what this is, Usagi. It could be any number of things – a ploy by the enemy, something stress-induced, or even memories from a past life." Usagi's head shot up and she looked at Rei strangely, but she held up a hand before the blonde could interrupt. "We know that we all had a previous life on the moon, even though we know very little of it since Luna hasn't regained most of her memory. You could be remembering something from your life before…well before we moved on to this one I suppose." An uncomfortable silence filled the room as for a moment they both reflected on the idea that they all must have died once. Usagi spoke first.

"But what about the man I can never see? Who is he and why does he keep telling me to ask the right question? And what would cause this to start happening so suddenly?" Rei shrugged.

"That's something you'll have to find the answer to – or the question, in your case. That actually may be the key to what's going on here. And as for the suddenness…you did just go through some serious trauma. Maybe you jarred something loose in that accident." She paused for a moment, violet eyes lost in thought.

"I think you should let me work with you, do some exercises to help you take control of your dreams. Also in the meantime I'll see if I can divine anything about what's going on. Let's meet up after filming today." Usagi nodded and stood up to go. She said her thanks as the priestess collected their cups and they made ready to head off for the day's filming.

* * *

Usagi was in her costume once again, standing on a set that looked pretty much the same as it had before it was demolished. It felt so alien to see something that had been destroyed be there and perfect and fine. A hand tentatively went up to her side, lightly touching her bruised ribs. Those certainly weren't pristine, but at least the pain had mostly melted away unless she did anything strenuous. Hearing footsteps behind her, she turned to see Mamoru walking out in his costume, his hat tucked into the crook of one arm. He stood beside her to look at the set.

"You could almost think it never happened." Usagi gave him a short, strained laugh.

"Like it was just a bad dream." She realized she was still holding her side and let her hand fall. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Mamoru looking at her, a concerned look on his face. Mustering up her courage, she gave him a brave smile and then turned to walk to the set they would actually be using in today's filming.

Her mind whirled as the crew prepared to start running the scene. Fleeting images of dreams teased the corners of her consciousness, and her thoughts fluttered between her meeting with Tuxedo Kamen and her conversation with Rei. Her stomach was tumbling over itself when she looked up to see Mamoru giving her a very strange look. As soon as he saw her looking he smiled at her, but she had seen the look nonetheless. What was on his mind, anyways? Shaking her head, she tried to center herself for their filming to begin.

Usagi fidgeted with her hair as she and Mamoru stood up on the set, waiting for filming to begin. She looked up at him as they stood close for another romantic scene, and a bare whiff of roses floated to her nose which caused an image to flit through her mind from the previous night. He looked down at her, his eyes sparkling from the stage lights, and she smiled wistfully.

"You know, you do look a little like Tuxedo Kamen." For a moment his eyes widened, and then he laughed.

"And how would you know, Odango? If I recall it wasn't him who saved you from that youma." Usagi felt her face trying to break out into a big, ironic grin but she managed to suppress it and cover it with indignation.

"That may be true, but I actually have met him before, thank you. In fact, he saved my life yesterday as my own personal bodyguard evidently had the day off." He grinned down at her.

"Yeah right, and I'm the Queen of England."

"Then you'd better put your crown on Mrs. Chiba 'cause even my friends could tell you it happened – they were there and everything." Mamoru laughed and waved it off as the call to start the scene came. The lighting changed, and they were instantly transported again to the world where he was Tuxedo Kamen and she was Sailor Moon, and their love kept them together against all odds.

* * *

She descended into the dream with relative quickness under the weight of her soft comforter, her head resting on her bunny-covered pillow. The darkness folded around her, and she took a deep breath before plunging into the icy blackness.

As her eyes fluttered open she was overwhelmed with confusion. Sharp pains wracked her body, and she felt as though she couldn't breathe. Her hands were wrapped around something hard and cold, and she was trembling all over. Suddenly he was there, his deep blue eyes sad and glittering with unshed tears. He leaned close, his hands closing around hers as he whispered in her ear with a shaky voice.

"I'm sorry. So very, very sorry." As he pulled away her strength faded and her vision grew dim. Just before the dark enveloped her completely, she glanced down to see her hands wrapped around the hilt of a sword that was buried in her chest.

Startled, she sat upright quickly, nearly hitting her head on her headboard. Soft, silky sheets met her hands as she raised herself up and she glanced around to see an unfamiliar room. The fact that she was still dreaming floated to her just as someone rapped quietly at her door as it swung open and a woman in simple clothing stuck her head in.

"Pardon me, but I just wanted to let you know that the ball has begun and your mother is requesting your presence. Would you like to change first?" Usagi stood and smiled, waving the woman off.

"No need Melhinda, I changed before my nap so I wouldn't be more than fashionably late." The woman bowed and slipped out of the room as Usagi went to the door and walked out, fighting every step of the way to gain control of her body which had evidently been set to autopilot.

As she gave up trying to control the legs of this body she was in, she noticed the corridor she was walking through. It seemed so familiar to her, but she couldn't quite place her finger on it. As she walked along, she searched her memory for it. _Last night's dream. This is where I woke up._ A quick glance behind her confirmed it. The door she had just exited was the one she had been pushing open just before…before she woke up. A shiver ran down her spine.

She entered a glorious ballroom where hundreds of costumed people danced elegantly, bright skirts swirling all around. Her breath caught as she walked down the stairs, glittering gemstones were everywhere, and streamers hung from the ceilings. She trailed a hand behind her as she descended the staircase, running it along the smooth surface of the banister. As she reached the bottom, she felt a hand close around her own, and she nearly screamed as remnants of her previous dreams flashed before her eyes. Slowly she turned her head to see the same man grasping her hand, eyes hidden by a mask and lips curved into a deep smile.

Tender music played and he directed her to the dance floor, pulling her close and wrapping one arm around her waist. She placed her other arm on his shoulder, peering intently up at him as he twirled her gently to the music. It was strange how he was right in front of her, in bright light, but she still couldn't quite see his face. How could that be possible? His rich, deep laughter filled her ears.

"One of these days you'll figure out the right question, I'm sure of it. Until then, don't concern yourself with such trivial matters. All will be revealed, et cetera et cetera. Just relax and enjoy yourself." He twirled her outwards, and then closely back towards him. Just as his arm wrapped around her front and she brushed against him, he pulled her back and bent his head down close to hers. Her eyes slid closed, heart racing as she felt his warm breath tickling her lips.

There was a moment of bewilderment as she stared at the darkness around her. A long and tense moment passed before she blinked and realized that she was in her room. Her own room. Slowly she sat up, licking her dry lips and reaching for a glass of water. She had pretty much failed completely to do anything she had discussed with Rei earlier that day – she hadn't been able to take control of her dreams at all despite the strong feeling that she could if she wanted.

With a deep sigh, she picked up a notebook next to her bed and painstakingly recorded every detail she could remember right down to the texture of the sheets she had been laying on in the dream. Exhaustion overtook her quickly, and she set her notebook and pen aside to sink back into a mercifully dreamless sleep.

* * *


	12. Act 11: The Art of Dancing

**A/N:** Surprise! I couldn't help but write this next chapter, because it's been bouncing around in my mind for so long! I have to take a brief break from writing, but I'm so excited I may start working on the next chapter later today. My mind is abuzz with ideas, so who knows what might happen? This chapter is a bit longer than my previous ones, but I really had to take the time to describe a lot of it, because I felt it would be cheap to leave it at face value, you know? I apologize in advance for any typos - I was so excited writing this that my fingers kept stumbling over each other to get the story out fast enough!

Thank you so much to everyone who's reviewed. I logged into my email to find 15 new messages this morning and it just made my day . Especially to **Lennatha**, thank you for your thoughtful reviews! Just sit tight and all will be resolved, I promise! There will be more dream sequences in the following chapters, and we may even have a resolution coming soon. Please enjoy this next chapter!

Serenity-hime

* * *

**Act 11: The Art of Dancing**

The next morning found Usagi taking a long hot shower. She let the water wash over her as she stared at the wall in front of her. The dreams from last night were still fresh in her mind. Sleep had come easily afterward, but it was fitful and she felt like she must have woken up and tossed and turned many times in the night. Realizing that dwelling on her dreams was going to give her a rather nasty headache; she turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. As she wrapped a towel around her body and reached for another one to dry her hair, her mother's voice floated up to her from downstairs.

"Usagi, you have a phone call! It's a boy!" Usagi rolled her eyes and stepped out of the bathroom while drying her hair and shouted back down the stairs.

"I'll get it in my room!" She walked into her room, closing her door behind her and picked up her cute pink bunny phone that was sitting on her desk.

"Hello?  
"Hi Usagi." It was Mamoru. She barely caught the sound of a female obviously trying to stifle a giggle in the background and once again rolled her eyes.

"Mom hang up the phone, I know you're there."

"Oh you're no fun at all!" Mamoru was laughing as Usagi heard the click as Ikuko hung up the phone and sighed.

"I'm sorry about that. Sometimes my mom gets a little nosey about my social life." Mamoru chuckled.

"Since when do you have a social life, Odango? Someone call the media!"

"Ah right, it's time for my daily insulting phone call. How could I forget? What do you want, jerkface?"

"Calm down Miss Blonde Fury. I was actually calling to see if you had any plans for this evening, since we're not filming today." Usagi chewed on her bottom lip for a moment in thought.

"Not that I can think of, why?"

"Well, I was wondering if you um, if you'd like to have dinner with me this evening?" There was a long pause as Usagi chewed on her lip a little more, her brows furrowing in thought.

"What do you mean?"

"You know, dinner. Food. Usually consists of sitting down and stuffing your face. In your case it might also include bodily injury when you trip the waiter." She huffed.

"I know what dinner is! I was just wondering why you're suddenly deciding to buy me dinner. It's not like you're Mr. Charitable."

"Whoever said I was buying you dinner? I don't want to go bankrupt!" She stomped her foot and glared before realizing that pummeling her phone wasn't likely to do her much good. Before she could think up a proper retort he continued. "I'm just kidding, I'm buying dinner. Honestly, I've been feeling kind of bad that you got hurt, and even though it was to spare you from getting hurt worse, I'm sorry that I had to make that choice. I know it's not much but I figured that the least I could do is take you out somewhere nice."

"Do we get to go to the Crown for ice cream afterwards?" Mamoru chuckled on the other end of the line.

"Sure Odango, though I would imagine they probably have all sorts of tasty desserts there anyways." Usagi squealed in delight.

"I am so there! I wonder if they have chocolate cake?"

After cementing their plans, Usagi hung up the phone to get dressed and finish drying her hair. She carefully pawed through her closet as she tried to select something nice to wear. After a few minutes of digging, it occurred to her that she was looking for something nice to wear to have dinner with _Mamoru_. She sat back on her heels, feeling suddenly puzzled. Why was she so concerned about what to wear? And when, exactly, had it become ok for her to just go out to dinner with Mamoru? And what if…what if this was a date and she hadn't realized it? She gasped.

"Surely it's not a date. Why would he ask me out like that? There's no way he would think of me like that, of course. I'm just overreacting and he's just trying to be nice and there's nothing secretly going on here." Smiling confidently, she stood up and chose a plain shirt and pants and got dressed before walking downstairs to get a late breakfast.

A plate already laden with breakfast foods greeted her as she walked into the kitchen, which was a little unusual. She walked over to the table and sat down to a heaping pile of scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, bacon, and sausage. After frowning at her food for a moment, she picked up a fork and dove in with gusto, hardly noticing her mother busily working around the kitchen to clean dishes, humming the whole time. Just as she was finishing gulping down the last of her milk, her mom came over and hugged her tight around the shoulders. Usagi looked at her as if she'd grown an extra head.

"Um, Mom? Are you feeling ok this morning?" Ikuko laughed and waved it off, picking up Usagi's dishes and carrying them to the sink.

"Of course dear! I'm just in such a good mood this morning is all." There was a long pause before Usagi got up from the table and walked over to stand next to Ikuko, her arms crossed in front of her.

"And why are you in such a good mood? Did something happen?" Sensing the suspicion in her daughter's voice, Ikuko shook her head fervently.

"Nothing at all sweetie, I'm just having a good day." Usagi leaned over to peer closely at her mother, scrutinizing her expression. She could tell she was about to crack. She leaned back and looked coolly down at her nails.

"Alright then, I'm going to go out to the library to study for awhile, you know me. Ever the hard working, studious child!" She turned to go and felt hands suddenly grab her shoulders and spin her around before Ikuko enclosed her in a furiously happy hug, cutting off most of Usagi's ability to breathe.

"I'm just so happy for my baby! I can't believe you're already going on your first date!"

"Can't….breathe…."

"It seems so sudden but I know you've been doing a lot of growing up recently, I mean starring in your own movie is a big deal, and I just know you're going to be so happy!"

"Mom…." Ikuko looked up to see Usagi turning a rather interesting shade of blue and released her daughter who coughed and gasped for air before croaking out somewhat strained words. "You…you were listening to my phone call?" Ikuko laughed nervously and held up her hands in front of her.

"Now Usagi, it isn't what you think at all! I hung up the phone like you asked me to but when I was dusting in the area the phone just fell off the hook and I just happened to hear just the tiniest bit of your conversation when I picked up the receiver to hang it up. You know I would _never_ deliberately listen to one of your private conversations!" Usagi rolled her eyes.

"Don't I know it. You really shouldn't do that you know, it's not very polite at all. In some societies you could get your hands chopped off or something." Ikuko smiled and her voice softened.

"I know, but I couldn't help myself. I mean the only boy who's ever really called you is Umino, and I know how you feel about him. To suddenly have this new boy calling you and inviting you on a date is just so exciting! My little girl is growing up faster than I could have imagined."

"Ugh, Mom it's not a date. His name is Mamoru, he's in the movie with me, and he's the one that saved me from getting hurt by that monster on set. He's just buying me dinner because he feels bad that I got hurt." Usagi felt something drop to through the bottom of her stomach as her mother's eyes got that sparkle that said she would do everything in her power to meddle in Usagi's life.

"Oh how absolutely wonderful! That's even better! He plays in the movie with you and you're already friends _and_ he saved your life! You two will make just the best couple, I know it. I wonder if the camera is still getting repaired at the shop or not, I have to get some pictures of your first big date."

"Ok, totally not going to happen. He's not my boyfriend, it's not a date, and I wouldn't tell you where we're going if you tied me down and jabbed me with a red-hot iron. And we're _not_ a couple." Ikuko laughed, but stopped when she looked at her daughter with her ultimately powerful eye of scrutiny and dissection.

"Oh sweetie you're not going to wear that, are you?" Usagi looked down at herself.

"What's wrong with these clothes? They're comfortable enough." Ikuko sighed heavily and went to get her purse. She dug around for a moment and returned, pressing some bills into Usagi's hand.

"You're going to go out shopping and buy something pretty to wear. I'll not let you go to some nice place with a boy looking like we live in destitution. If nothing else, find something that looks good just for you even if you think you don't like this boy. It's always good to feel pretty and nice, and you may find that the world will look at you just a little bit differently." She smiled and made a shooing motion with her hands. "Off with you, I have a house to clean!"

As Usagi scooted out the door, Ikuko leaned against the doorframe and sighed happily. Whether her daughter realized it or not, that boy was smitten over her, and Usagi felt nearly the same.

Usagi walked down the street, her golden hair swinging back and forth behind her. She was a little baffled by her mother's actions, but when was she not? Sometimes she thought that she must have been adopted to come from such weird people. Certainly she was more in the real world, if you could count dressing in spandex and bows and running out to beat up monsters at night anything like normal.

Her mother had a valid point at least. If nothing else, she was going to go out and find something really pretty to wear tonight just for herself. On some level it would be for Mamoru, but only because she felt like making him see how pretty and graceful she could really be if she wanted. In a way, it was like a form of revenge for all of the times he'd teased her or laughed at her when she fell down or dropped something. She could be elegant and all that stuff, she just needed the perfect opportunity to shove it in his face, and this was it. Grinning widely, she strolled into the mall with her head held high.

* * *

When she was home that evening, waiting for Mamoru to pick her up, she was a little less sure. She kept checking herself in the mirror and making sure everything was straight and neat. Her reflection gazed back at her, quiet and reserved. She was wearing a cream-colored lacy top with a calf-length light blue skirt that had many asymmetrical layers of sheer material, and cute cream-colored heels that let her pink nail polish-adorned toes peek through.

She had struggled for hours to find the right outfit that was neither too dressy nor too casual, and this was the best she could come up with. She had taken her hair down from its traditional buns, but pulled some of her hair up behind her in a bun to take in some of the length while letting the rest hand down behind her. Painstaking care had rewarded her with some pretty, simple silver jewelry including a necklace with a silver crescent moon, a bracelet with moons and stars, and a matching anklet.

Once she had actually set to the task of finding something to wear she realized she had no idea where they were eating dinner. For all she knew he was taking her out to some cheap burger joint and she didn't want to look like an idiot. So instead of picking the beautiful dress she had first sighted, she had perused many stores until she found something that she felt she would feel comfortable in anywhere. Ikuko had assured her many times that she looked beautiful and that she wouldn't look out of place anywhere. Usagi wasn't as sure, but as she stood there and straightened her skirt for the thousandth time she heard a knock at the front door.

A sense of calm came over her as she walked up to the door, trying to ignore the nervous giggling coming from the kitchen. This was her chance to show up Mamoru and make him think twice the next time he wanted to call her a klutz or make fun of her eating habits, and she didn't want to mess it up. She swung the door open, trying to look very sure of herself and composed. It didn't really occur to her to wonder why she was so nervous.

Mamoru looked up as she opened the door, and she felt her heart skip a beat. He wasn't wearing a tuxedo or anything fancy, but he was dressed very nicely in dark pants and a dark-blue button up shirt. Usually she had seen him in a turtleneck and that awful green jacket or something similar, but he looked quite snazzy and it was a nice change. Looking back over her shoulder as she waved to her mother, she was quite grateful that she had made her go out and pick up something nice, otherwise she would have felt like an idiot.

As she approached the car, a hand suddenly snaked around from behind her and opened her door. She nearly screamed but managed to hold it in as she heard Mamoru chuckling from behind her. Instead she cleared her throat and calmly slid into her seat, holding her composure enough to not stick her tongue out at him as he closed her door and walked around to the driver's side.

There was a long silence as he drove. Usagi plucked at her skirt and glanced around his car and out the windows as they whizzed by people and buildings. His car was nice enough, not stunningly awesome or anything, but nice. It smelled faintly of roses, which was rather comforting, so she settled back in her seat and enjoyed the drive. It was a while before either of them spoke, and he broke the silence first.

"You, uh, you look nice, Usagi." She turned to face him, but he was still looking out the windshield. She smiled.

"Thank you. You look nice too." He smiled briefly. "So where are we going, anyways?"

"Oh, just this nice little restaurant I know of. They have pasta and all kinds of good food. I think you'll like it."

Thankfully the drive was short, and they arrived at a very nice-looking restaurant. Before he could spring out and open her door to make her feel silly again, Usagi opened the door and gracefully stepped out. The two of them went inside and got a comfortable booth for two and studied their menus for awhile without talking. There was something uncomfortable in the air and Usagi didn't understand it at all. Why were they both just not talking? Once the waiter came and took their orders and their menus, they both sat a little awkwardly before Mamoru once again stepped in and spoke up.

"I want to thank you for letting me take you out to dinner. I kind of feel like it's the least I could do." She found a smile, after all.

"I appreciate it. I've never really been to a place like this before, actually."

"I've only ever been here once, but it's kind of strange when you're by yourself. I generally prefer hanging out at the Crown where there are a lot of people." Usagi raised an eyebrow.

"I always took you for being one of those people who prefers to be alone. You always sit off by yourself and don't really interact with a lot of people, mostly just Motoki."

"And you. Don't forget I take precious time out of my day to pick on you." Mamoru grinned and this time she really did stick her tongue out at him. So much for trying to be mature. "Seriously though, I don't like being by myself all the time, it just kind of happens that way. At least when there are a lot of people around I kind of feel like I fit in somewhere. I'm not very good at how you would say 'letting people in'. I don't feel comfortable with most people."

A long moment passed where he didn't look at her and fiddled with his napkin, and she looked at him intently. He smiled, but she felt something that ran much deeper in him, and it made her a little sad. Here was a guy that was almost her age that she had seen almost every day and never bothered to say hello to. In fact, until that day she had accidentally hit him in the face with that test, she hadn't even really noticed him anywhere because he fit into the background so well.

Something moved inside of her, and something changed. Something new was there, or maybe something really old. She smiled at him and reached over to squeeze his hand in a moment reminiscent of when he had come to see her in the hospital. He looked up at her, his expression lost, and then he smiled back. The moment passed, and she let go of his hand as the waiter arrived with their drinks. Once he was gone, she spoke.

"When I was younger, I didn't really have any friends." He laughed.

"You? I can't imagine that, you seem to make friends like weeds in a garden."

"No, I'm serious! I don't know why, but it just seemed like the other kids didn't like me that much. They would tease me because of my hair or my grades or pretty much anything they could think of. It made me feel bad, so I never tried to make any friends. Eventually I realized that the more I tried to hide from everyone, the worse it got. So, I stopped trying to be what they wanted me to be, or to hide in myself, and I started just being me. I started making friends, and I found it a lot easier to open up to people. I don't know who I'd be today if I didn't do that." Mamoru smiled.

"That's probably a good thing then – you've managed to help a lot of people whether you know it or not."

They sat there for a moment before that uncomfortable silence fell again, and Usagi directed the conversation elsewhere. They talked about all kinds of subjects, from what they wanted to do when they graduated to their dream vacations to their favorite movies. They argued and agreed and laughed and of course ate, and the night wore on as it always does. When they left the restaurant, the moon was hanging low in the sky as he opened her door for her and she slid into her seat, full and happy.

* * *

A short time later they arrived at her house. She was content to let Mamoru walk around and open her door for her, and he held out a hand to help her out of the car. She took it and stood, but her left foot snagged on the bottom of the doorframe and she pitched forward as she lost her balance, the ground looming up below her. Luckily for her, Mamoru deftly pulled on the hand he was holding and jerked her towards him instead of the ground, catching her before she fell. Instead of the harsh pavement, she landed softly against his chest, gasping for air and eyes wide.

When she realized she was safe, she looked up at him and laughed. He joined her and they stood that way for a minute, laughing as he held her and she leaned against him. It passed, and as she came back down from the laughter that had taken over her, she realized just where she was. Abruptly she stopped laughing and inhaled sharply as she looked up at him and saw he wasn't laughing anymore either. She felt herself begin to tremble and spoke softly.

"Mamoru, I–" He cut her off as he bet down and pressed his lips against hers. With every part of her, she meant to fight and pull away and run inside, but instead her eyes slid closed and she wrapped her arms behind his neck as he pulled her close and enveloped her in his arms, deepening their warm, soft kiss. The last comprehensible thought that flew through her mind involved that moment at the fountain when he had kissed her and she had shoved him into the water, and the idea that _this_ was the real first kiss she had wanted.

* * *

Ikuko smiled to herself as she picked up her toothbrush. She had successfully diverted Kenji into going to bed early, not wanting him to know just yet about their daughter's date. Yes, she had denied that it was a date and yes, it was every father's "right" to see their little girl off on their first date, but Ikuko felt it was better this way. Kenji wasn't the type of father to see his little girl off with tears, he was the type of father to take the boy into another room and threaten to use a chainsaw in the most creative ways possible.

She felt in her heart that this was right. After all, the boy had already put his own life on the line to save her daughter's, and he had sounded like he had nothing but good intention on the phone. In fact, the two seemed to already know each other really well, and she trusted Usagi's judgment without hesitation when it came to such matters. Humming lightly, she turned out the light in the bathroom and climbed into bed next to the already asleep Kenji, and closed her eyes to dream about when she was young and fell in love.

* * *

**A/N:** Edited when I realized I forgot all the page breaks. Also, did I mention how much I love Ikuko-mama? She's one of my favorite characters ever :) 


	13. Act 12: The Present

**A/N:** I'm fairly certain I'm going to be fed to the wolves and eaten alive for this chapter. I promise I'm writing the next one right now and I'll have it out as soon as possible!

Thank you so very much to everyone who's taken the time out to review. You have no idea what it means to an author to see all those wonderful people who care enough to leave some words about what they've written. You guys are what keeps me going. Please enjoy this next chapter. Don't eat me!

Serenity-hime

P.S. Please keep in mind that the entirely italicized parts are movie scenes. There are portions of the scene that involve real life, and I hope the difference is obvious. Yes, I realize that scenes are often split up into parts when being filmed for makeup and stuff like that to change, but in the fantasy world that is my brain, it works exactly like it is in this story. Thank you for upgrading your crazy compatibility to my level.

* * *

**Act 12: The Present**

Usagi stood in her dressing room tugging the last wrinkles out of her Sailor Moon costume. Nervously she smoothed down her skirt, turning around to make sure that everything was in place. With a deep breath, she walked to her door, opened it, and stepped out into the hallway. Some of the other girls were stepping out as well, and she smiled and waved, hoping none of them would pick up on anything. Thankfully Rei hadn't emerged yet, or was already on set. Usagi was quite sure that Rei would realize something was off.

As she walked out to the set, she reflected on the previous night. She hadn't dreamt at all, that she could remember. It seemed unusual; though she had only been having the dreams for a few days she had almost come to expect them each night when she fell asleep. It was disconcerting at the very least for it to suddenly stop. The most she could do was wait and see if they resumed that night.

And then there had been…that incident. At least she hadn't run away or shoved him into running water this time, but she still felt like she had been awkward when she pulled away and walked inside. Neither of them had really said anything – she walked into the house and he climbed back into his car and drove away. The whole time she felt like she was supposed to say something, but the words hadn't come so she had just walked inside, went to her room, and fell asleep on her bed still in her clothes. Maybe that had something to do with why she didn't dream.

Suddenly she snapped back to the present as the bright lights from the set loomed into view. Butterflies suddenly filled her stomach and it took all of her courage to step out into the room. He was already there, talking to the director. Sticky syrup filled her veins as she slowly stepped onto the set, trying to avoid looking at him. She walked up and stood next to him, arms crossed in front of her, and carefully studied a piece of scenery off to the side. The director walked off the set, and Mamoru turned to look at her. He smiled tentatively.

"Hi." For a brief moment she looked up and into his eyes before hers skittered away off to the side and she blushed deeply.

"Hi." There was a pause. Just as he started to open his mouth to say something more, the call came and they both took up positions for the upcoming scene. It started out with the two of them running from a youma.

* * *

_They ran, their feet pounding on the pavement as they fled from the monster behind them. It bellowed in rage, firing off blasts at them as they pulled farther away. Without warning, Sailor Moon's foot disappeared into a small hole in the pavement, and there was a sickening crunch as her ankle gave way. A scream ripped from her lungs as she tumbled to the pavement grabbing for her injured leg. Tuxedo Kamen whirled around to see her writhing on the ground and instinctively stooped down to pick her up. And that was when the world stopped._

_A thunderous roar shook the ground as the youma unleashed a devastating blow. They both looked up as the blast hurtled toward them, and without hesitation Tuxedo Kamen wrapped his arms around her and whirled around so she was facing away from the blast. Before he could leap out of the way with the injured heroin in his arms, the blast hit him fully in the back and he crumpled to the ground, Sailor Moon bouncing out of his arms and across the pavement._

_After a stunned moment, Sailor Moon rolled over enough that she could see what was going on. In the distance she could see Jupiter and Venus doing what they could to fend off the monster. Gradually she let her head turn to see the unmoving form a few feet away from her, laying face-down on the pavement. The dazed look faded from her eyes at a painfully slow pace, but once it was gone realization replaced it very quickly and panic exploded inside of her. Moaning, she pulled herself upright and began to crawl towards him, the smell of charred flesh striking her with great ferocity._

In the back of her mind, buried very deeply, a voice mumbled something she couldn't quite hear. As she looked at him, the voice grew louder until it was a distinct buzz in the back of her mind.

_Her injured, useless foot dragged behind her as she pulled herself along the pavement towards him. When she reached him, she simply sat there for a moment, unsure of what to do. She almost could bear to touch him. Tentatively she reached a hand out to brush his cheek as tears started sliding down her face unnoticed. A hoarse whisper escaped her._

_"No."_

_Starting to shake, she pulled herself closer and tenderly turned him over, her eyes completely skipping over the horrible wound covering his back. She was kneeling beside him, and his eyes were closed. A large gash over his forehead had oozed blood but had mostly stopped. She couldn't stop to think what that meant. She placed a hand on his pale cheek and the shaking grew uncontrollably. She said it again, her voice a little louder now in her own ears._

_"No."_

The buzz was rising, and something was taking a hold on her heart. Goosebumps rippled up and down her arms and legs, and her mouth was dry. There was an eerie sense of familiarity here, even though this was the first time they had run this scene. She looked down, and 

_her tears were dripping onto his face. They traced little rivulets in the grime and blood on his cheeks and she wiped them away almost without thought. She placed her hands on either side of his shoulders and shook him gently._

_"Tuxedo Kamen, you have to wake up." _(_Mamoru_), the voice whispered. _She shook him a little harder, her breath starting to catch in her throat as the sobs started coming. "Tuxedo Kamen! Please wake up! You have to wake up!" _(_Mamoru_) said the voice, a little louder this time. _She shook him hard, sobbing wordlessly when he didn't respond. She cradled his head to her chest and threw her head back and howled out an inhuman sound of grief and rage and pain. _

_Hands closed on her shoulders. She looked up to see Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars standing on either side of her. Mercury squatted down next to her and gently tugged on the arms that were locked around his body._

_"Sailor Moon, we have to go. We need you to help us fight." Wordlessly the blonde shook her head, clinging ever tighter to his body. Mercury looked up a Mars, who also squatted down next to her friend._

_"I know it's hard right now, but we may not be able to defeat this one by ourselves, and if it gets away then…then he will have died for nothing." She shook her head again. This time both girls tugged on her arms, trying to pull her away but she fought back fiercely and growled at them._

_"No! Go away!" She wrapped her arms around him again and buried her head in his chest, hoping that if she ignored them long enough they would leave her alone. Reluctantly they complied, and ran off to help their friends. Mars looked back as they left their leader behind._

_"She needs us right now." Mercury nodded, but didn't look back._

_"But she has to grieve. We can't do anything but keep her from getting hurt any worse physically, and then we'll deal with it."_

_Meanwhile Sailor Moon sobbed into his tuxedo, grasping his lapels tightly. After a time the sobbing passed, and she looked up at him with bloodshot eyes. She dragged herself up closer to his face, and looked down at him. He seemed so serene. She whispered to him._

_"You could almost be sleeping." She touched his cheek lightly with the backs of her fingers. "But you're not. Because you saved me, and I'm sorry that you cared enough to spare my life. I don't deserve it. It should have been me." With that final hoarse word, she leaned forward and sealed her lips tightly against his, her tears running down the sides of his face. She could have spent the rest of her life that way, clutching him and kissing him until she stopped breathing but something made her stop. A hand suddenly placed on her back, grasping her and pulling her down._

_Startled, she tried to pull away, her eyes wide. The world seemed to pause as she looked down at him, and with agonizing slowness his eyes slid open, clouded and confused. He looked up at her as tears once again flowed freely from her eyes, and she grabbed him frantically and hugged his body close to hers, laughing and sobbing hysterically._

_"You're alive! You're alive!" He brought his arms up and encircled her, obviously in pain, and whispered into her ear._

_"Only because of you."_

* * *

As the lights came up and she slowly released him so he could sit up, she realized that the weird feeling she had felt building up inside of her during the scene hadn't abated, and the feeling of familiarity had stuck with her until just before they had wrapped up. She looked over to see that Mamoru was giving her a strange look, and wondered if he had felt it too. He stood and held out a hand to help her up, which she gladly took.

Neither of them spoke as she dusted off her legs, and the director walked over, grinning and clapping. He clapped Usagi on the shoulder when he got to them.

"Wonderful work! I loved the little bits you just sort of tossed in there and that emotion was just perfect. I mean so perfect! If we keep seeing that level of work out of you, I think this movie will be bowing out the box office for a long time." He called a break for everyone and walked off, chuckling to himself. Usagi blushed deeply as Mamoru smiled at her. She started to wander off towards the refreshments table, but he grabbed her hand before she could really turn away. She gave him an expectant look and he hesitated a moment before speaking.

"Usagi, about yesterday…I think maybe we should talk. We can't just avoid each other forever." Usagi looked down at their linked hands and blushed even more. Realizing what she was looking at, he let her hand go. "How about after filming we go to the park and get some ice cream?" She nodded.

"I guess we could do that. I just feel a little, um, awkward is all. But I guess we should talk." He smiled gratefully and she turned to go get something to drink, her heart beating fast. She wasn't entirely sure if she was excited or dreading their meeting, but she was definitely nervous. The strange feeling wouldn't leave her until much later that day.

* * *

Filming continued to go smoothly, and the director decided to let everyone go early for their hard work. Usagi stretched out a little before grabbing her bag and exiting the dressing room, trying to stretch out a little since her ribs were feeling tight. She had been avoiding most physical work, and figured it was likely just part of the healing process.

As she walked out into the hallway, the other girls had already finished changing and were waiting for her. Makoto waved her over to where they were standing.

"Hey Usagi, we're going to the Crown to get some ice cream and burgers, wanna come?" Usagi fought the heat that was threatening to take over her face.

"Uh, I can't actually. I um, have plans." Rei raised an eyebrow.

"What kind of plans would you have that doesn't involve us?"

"Well, Mamoru and I were going to go get some ice cream at the park." Usagi winced as she saw that all-too-familiar evil grin come over Minako's face.

"My my, you two have certainly been spending a lot of time together lately, U-sa-gi-chan. I wonder if there's anything you haven't told us? Hmmmmmm?" The girls all rounded to face her curiously as her blush deepened.

"No it isn't like that at all! We just meet up every now and then cause of work stuff. You know, practicing lines and working out new parts and everything. I swear!" Makoto and Mina both snickered, Rei rolled her eyes, and even Ami giggled behind her hand. They walked off, laughing and chatting, occasionally throwing looks back at her as she leaned against the wall.

After a few minutes, Mamoru emerged and walked over towards her. He grinned sheepishly at her and they headed off towards the park, which was only a short distance away. They were both very quiet as they exited the building, but once they were outside he turned towards her as they walked. 

"Are you ok?" She was a little surprised at his question.

"Yeah." He nodded and they continued walking.

Once they had reached the park, they both got ice cream and found a nice grassy spot to sit down and eat. They made small talk about the movie and the weather and school. Mamoru had finished his ice cream just as Usagi was munching on the last portion of her waffle cone. He gazed at her as she popped the last piece in her mouth, crunching on it happily.

"So, are we actually going to talk about the elephant sitting in the room or were we planning on throwing a nice pink doily over it and making it a table?" She looked up, one finger still in her mouth as she licked it clean, and her eyes were wide. Suddenly she started laughing. Seeing that he looked puzzled, she tried to calm her laughter, but still found herself giggling anyways.

"I'm sorry, I'm just not used to you making jokes like that. Or being so blunt, for that matter." She stood up and beckoned for him to follow. "Let's walk and talk. That always makes me feel better."

He got up as she brushed stray bits of grass from her skirt and they meandered around the park aimlessly, pausing for her to smell flowers and point out squirrels. Eventually they wound up back at the fountain and Usagi stopped abruptly. She turned towards Mamoru, her face serious.

"To answer your question, yes I suppose we're going to talk about it. We need to, right? I don't think either of us could ignore this…this thing, whatever it is, that's going on here." He nodded.

"I think you're right. So where do we start?" There was a tense moment as Usagi moved close to him and looked up into his face, seeming to scrutinize every detail.

"You want to know how I feel." He swallowed, and nodded. "About you." Another nod. Usagi sighed and looked down at the pavement, shoulders slumping. "I had a feeling it would come to this. It's been so weird these past weeks. We don't really fight anymore, and it's almost like we're friends now. When did that happen?" Wistfully she looked off to her right, over at the rose garden. She inhaled deeply, and looked back up at him. "Honestly, I don't know how to put it in words. It's like this deep ache that I just can't get rid of, and it's driving me insane."

Reflected in his eyes was a sadness that she couldn't define. He started to nod slowly and turn and her heart went out to him. It was painfully obvious how much he cared about her. Before he could go, she bounced up onto her toes, grabbed a hold of his cheeks, and pressed her lips tightly against his. After a moment passed she felt him gently wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her close. Her lips curved up into a smile against his, and she slowly pulled her head back. Delight filled her at his absolutely astonished expression, and she threw her head back and laughed.

"What can I say? It's nice to see you get taken down a peg for once, Mr. Chiba." She squirmed out of his grasp and darted away before he could react.

"Hey, you get back here!" He ran after her, only to catch up to her when she was at the fountain waiting for him. She scooped up a handful of water and splashed it at him, laughing evilly. He ducked out of the way, scooping up his own ammunition and chased her around the fountain. When he finally caught up to her he grabbed her and closed her in a tight hug, which she returned. He bent down and kissed the top of her head and whispered to her.

"I'm so glad." She pulled back and smiled up at him.

"Me too." He bent down to steal another kiss, but before he could he saw her eyes widen as she was looking over her shoulder.

"Mamoru!" She grabbed his shoulders tightly and pulled him off his feet while spinning them around, and he hit the ground hard. She landed lightly on top of him, worry etched into her face. Some sort of energy blast flew over her head and smashed into the fountain. She swore as she bounded up to her feet. "Damnit! I'm sorry Mamoru; I didn't mean to hurt you."

"It's ok, what's going on?" He too popped up to his feet, already realizing what had happened. Sure enough, when he looked around, a youma was terrorizing civilians in the park. It was freezing them up to their necks and then sucking out their energy, one by one. He started to step forward, but Usagi put a hand on his chest.

"You have to go, now. That thing can kill you." He had never seen her so serious, except when they were filming. Her eyes were set, but he grabbed her hand with a frown.

"I don't think so. You sound like you're going to stay here, and we all know what happened last time you tried to take on one of these things." She yanked her hand away and turned towards the youma.

"Last time was different." Before he could stop her, she vaulted the nearest park bench and sprinted off towards the youma. Complete and utter disbelief filled him, rooting him to the ground for a moment before he realized what was happening and followed.

Doubt and worry filled her mind as she flew across the grass, but she shoved it rudely aside. She couldn't afford to think that she wouldn't be able to handle it – she knew the girls were across town and whatever was going to happen would be over by the time they got here. Still, she pushed a small button on her communicator as she ran, and when Ami's face appeared she yelled something about a youma at the park and kept running. She was almost there, just a few more feet. A quick glance behind her showed Mamoru following behind. _Damnit! Why couldn't he have left when I told him to?_ That eerie, inexplicable feeling was back, but she shoved it aside too. There were lives to save.

Most of the people in the area had fled, with the few exceptions of trapped victims. Still, she knew she couldn't transform because Mamoru was right there and there was no way he could miss something like that with her right in front of him. Instead of transforming she ran and did a flying kick at the youma's head, hoping that her training would pay off.

It did, as her foot solidly connected with the thing's face, but only a few chips flew off and she fell to the ground hard. The enraged youma turned towards her, reaching its icy claws for her leg. She sprung up low on her feet and whirled around, trying to knock its feet out from under it, but connected to more solid ice. Damage was being done, but it wasn't nearly enough. Looking over at the people slumped in ice and those struggling and crying, she knew she didn't have an option. It was still trying to grab for her so she punched it square in the face and leapt backwards and out of its grasp. In doing so, she managed to plow into Mamoru, who had finally caught up.

As they hit the ground for the second time, Mamoru wheezed as the breath was knocked out of him. Usagi rolled off of him and onto her knees. 

"I told you to go home! You're going to get hurt." She stood and whirled around to face the youma and she felt a hand on her leg. Mamoru was looking up at her as he sat up.

"You could get killed." Her eyes softened, and she smiled down at him.

"Don't worry about me." The youma was barreling towards her, and she grabbed her locket, took a deep breath, and transformed. She exploded into a dazzling array of lights, charging at the dazed youma from the center of it. She lowered a shoulder and bulldozed right into its stomach, sending it flying. _Much better._ She reached up for her tiara, and felt a hand on her shoulder. Again, it was Mamoru, shock on his face.

"You're really…you're really Sailor Moon?" She pulled her shoulder free.

"Yes, and I'm a bit busy at the moment." As she ran off again he yelled out to her.

"I have to tell you something!" She yelled back over her shoulder.

"Tell me afterwards!" And she was dashing into the fray again.

Her tiara whirled, flying in a beautiful arc at the monster, who deftly moved aside as it spun towards it. Sailor Moon caught it expertly, ready to throw it again when a hail of roses flew overhead and pelted the youma, effectively blinding it. Then Tuxedo Kamen was there, right beside her. It was comforting to know she wasn't entirely alone, but she couldn't think about herself. They both ran towards the monster, and she barked orders like a pro.

"You've got to get those people free and get them out of here. They'll die of hypothermia if nothing else if they're left there. You can get that guy back there to help you." She turned to point, suddenly slowing to a stop. Her voice came out as a whisper. "Oh no."

Frantically her eyes roamed the park behind her, the youma forgotten. Could he have been hurt when she wasn't looking? Did he get ahead? She tried to calm herself, thinking maybe he had left like she asked, but panic was welling up in her throat. Tuxedo Kamen grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her towards him, a reassuring smile on his face.

"I'm alright, Usagi. I'll get the people and you take the youma. I'll back you up as soon as they're safe." And he was off, leaping towards the frozen people and leaving Sailor Moon staring after him with her eyes wide and mouth hanging open. Despite contrary belief, she wasn't as stupid as a lamp post, and she understood exactly what had just happened. Unfortunately before she had time to process it, she was hit full in the side by a ball of ice.

All of the breath was forced out of her lungs at once, and she was seeing stars when she hit the ground. The ice hadn't covered her like it had the other people, and she guessed this was just a different kind of offensive attack. She stood on wobbly legs, pulled her tiara off, and flung it just in time to see a four-foot razor-sharp icicle headed straight for her. There wasn't any time to get out of the way, and she knew it. She gritted her jaw in determination, and steeled herself for what was about to come.

Pain like no other she had ever felt tore through her, and she was quite sure the inhuman screaming she heard was her own. Miraculously she stood, with shaking hands, and made a sharp pulling gesture as her tiara circled behind the youma and pierced through its icy armor. It exploded into dust and her tiara clattered to the ground as she fell to her knees, and then collapsed on the ground. In the last moments of hazy consciousness, she felt herself being turned over and saw Mamoru's horrified face hovering over her. It hadn't been her screaming after all.

* * *

**A/N: **I feel like I have to apologize for this cliffhanger. This was all meant to be one chapter, but the story kept going despite me trying to explain how I needed the chapter to be short enough to include everything. As you can see, the story didn't listen, and this chapter was already growing quite long. I'm working on the next chapter now, so please bear with me!


	14. Act 13: The Past

**A/N:**This one is shorter than the past couple of chapters, but it says what it needs to and allows me to get this out a little faster. I'm sorry it took me longer than I thought - I really hit a snag with one of the scenes in this one. Again, thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed. You guys really make my day! Please enjoy this next chapter and let me know what you think!

Serenity-hime

* * *

**Act 13: The Past**

She was floating somewhere. It was warm and comfortable, and she floated along in the water, content to simply be. There was such a feeling of peace here. Nobody was fighting, nobody was hurting. To imagine death and pain in such a place was impossible. With a contented sigh, she rolled over onto her side, and her hands fell on soft, silky sheets. Her brow wrinkled in confusion. How could there be sheets in the middle of the water? She opened her eyes.

Silver light filled her vision, nearly blinding her. Slowly it faded, and she could see the room around her. She was laying in a large four-poster bed that was draped in cloths of whites and silvers. Through gauzy coverings she could see that the huge doors leading out to the balcony were open, and the night sky was peeping through. With a lazy yawn she clambered out of the bed, and threw a cream-colored silk robe over her matching sleeping gown. She tied it closed and walked towards the night.

As she reached the balcony to shut the doors, her breath was taken away at the awesomeness of the blue orb hanging overhead. Earth looked positively beautiful from here, and a deep longing filled her at the sight of it. Still, she sighed in contentment as she reached to draw the doors shut. The scent of flowers surrounded her as the warm breeze floated up from the gardens. She felt so happy here, so comfortable. Just as her hands touched the handles, she noticed someone sitting on her balcony, leaning against the wall with one foot propped up on the railing he was sitting on. She drew her robe more tightly closed with one hand and cleared her throat.

"May I help you?" The man chuckled, and stood. Though he was still standing in the shadows, she could almost sense his smile, but she didn't feel afraid.

"No my lady, I don't believe I'm the one who needs assistance." He walked a few steps closer. "I think maybe you could use a little help getting back on the path, however." She gave him a puzzled look.

"What path are you speaking of?"

"Ah, but you're still not asking the right questions. I would have hoped that you had learned by now." He stepped out of the shadows, and she recognized the man in the mask from the ball the previous night. He tilted his head and smiled wistfully, his eyes twinkling in the starlight.

"Closer I think, but you're not quite there yet."

"What do you mean?" He strode to her and took her hands in his own, raising their clasped hands between them.

"You have to remember. I know you want to stay here, but you can't. Remember, for me."

She looked up into those blue eyes, and saw herself reflected back in them. Despite the calm, serene feeling that had come over her, she saw true fear etched deeply into her face. She pulled one of her hands free and brought it to her face, where she felt the wetness of tears. She spared a glance for her hand as she pulled it away from her face and saw that it shone from the tears she had been crying all along, but never felt. Something was closing around her throat, around her chest, trying to keep her from breathing. Panic started to well up in her heart. When she looked back up at him, his smile had become very sad.

"I'm so sorry that it had to be this way, I truly am. I hope you can find a way to forgive me, but I had to do this. I think you understand." And she did, to a point. It was coming back to her now – he had been the man in her dreams, the one who was always telling her she wasn't asking the right questions. But that seemed so far away, like it was an entirely different life. And then it _all_ came back, and she fell to her knees with one hand clapped over her mouth in an effort not to be sick, eyes wide with horror. He knelt in front of her and gently tilted her head up so she would look at him. Her voice was trembling.

"What's happening?" He shook his head. "Who are you?" A sigh and another shake. "Who…who am I?" He smiled, and reached forward to embrace her tightly. He whispered into her ear.

"Now you can wake up."

* * *

Mamoru had been clutching her to his chest and sobbing into her beautiful golden hair. The moment she had fallen she had changed back into Usagi, into _his_ Usagi, and he had howled and screamed in disbelief. He had ripped off his mask and kissed her over and over, but she wouldn't wake up. Now he just cried like he never had. No civilians had returned, but he didn't give a damn who saw him like that. She was gone, forever.

After a few moments that way, the senshi had shown up. He hadn't really seen what happened, but it had looked like Mars and Jupiter were struggling to run to her, but when he looked up at them, bleary eyed, Venus and Mercury had held them back. They had come to stand in a circle around the two of them, and now they were kneeling down. Mercury and Venus were the closest to him, and Venus put a comforting hand on his shoulder while Mercury gently tried to pry Usagi from his grasp. Venus's voice was soft.

"You have to let her go now, Mamoru. You can't sit here with her forever." He looked up at her with bloodshot eyes and spoke with a voice full of gravel.

"I can sure as hell try." But he let Mercury take her and lay her down gently on the ground. They all knew it was too late, but still she checked for her pulse and breathing sounds. Finding that there were none, Mercury gestured towards Mamoru.

"Your cape, please." After staring at her for a very confused moment, he realized what she wanted and took his cape off and tenderly covered Usagi up to the shoulders. There was a long pause as they all bowed their heads in silence, each saying their own prayers or asking their own questions in their minds. When that moment passed, he tilted his head back up towards the sun, looking into the beautiful blue depths of the sky, and he felt anger boiling up inside. _It should be raining. The skies should weep for her._ But he said nothing. Mercury spoke quietly again.

"Someone…someone has to tell her family. We can't leave her out here, but we can't just dump her off at a hospital. I think her parents need to know who their daughter really was." The girls all nodded, and Mars spoke first.

"I'll tell them." With a brilliant flash, she let go of her transformation and reverted back into Rei. She glanced over at Mamoru, who seemed unsurprised. As she stood, Jupiter also let go of her transformation.

"I think we should all go." Mercury and Venus looked at each other, and followed suit. As understanding slowly grew in Mamoru's mind, he carefully picked up her frail body, still wrapped in his cape.

"I'll…I'll take her somewhere safe." Jupiter stooped to pick up his mask and walked around behind him to pull it on. She walked back around and smiled weakly.

"You probably don't want all of Japan to know who you are." He nodded. Rei beckoned to him.

"We should take her to the temple for now. We don't know what would happen if we took her to a hospital – we don't know if we all have weird blood or something, so it may be best not to at the moment. She'll be safe there in the meantime."

"I know where the temple is – I'll take the rooftops." They all agreed and the girls hurried off towards the temple while Mamoru took the long way, eyes staring straight ahead, empty and cold.

* * *

They were standing around her, looking down and wondering what to do. No one had really spoken since they had brought her in and laid her gently on the floor of the temple. Ami opened her mouth to speak again, when suddenly a faint silver glow began to emanate from Usagi's skin. They all stared in wonderment as the glow grew in brilliance until a burst of dazzling white light blinded them.

Blinking to clear the last spots from his eyes, Mamoru looked up to see Usagi standing arm's length from him, in the middle of their circle. She was still emitting that soft glow, but now she was dressed in a beautiful creamy gown trimmed in gold and silver that left her shoulders bare, and a golden crescent moon shone from her forehead. A teardrop-shaped crystal hung from a pendant around her neck. He was taken aback by the intensity of her gaze as she looked into his eyes. She smiled faintly and a hoarse whisper escaped him.

"Usagi?" She held her arms out towards him and he launched himself forward and wrapped his arms around her, tears flowing freely once more. A weird kind of hysterical laugh escaped him and he tried to hug her closer, but she put a hand on his chest and pushed him back lightly. He looked down to see her looking back up at him with a very serious expression. When she spoke, her voice was musical and light, and there were whispers of an almost archaic accent.

"I'm very sorry that I have to do this, but I think you have to remember." He raised a questioning eyebrow, and she placed her hands on his cheeks and leaned up on her tip tows to kiss him lightly on the lips. Where she touched him, a golden glow grew on his skin. It quickly spread, overtaking his body in seconds. He gasped and his hands flew to her wrists, but she held on as though her hands were glued to his cheeks. After a moment there was a brilliant flash of gold, and he slumped forward and she caught him easily. She helped him be stable on his feet, and smiled sadly as she turned towards the others.

"I think all of you have to remember now." She held up her hands, and a soft pulse of white light shot from her hands in an arc, passing through each of them. They all rocked as if something had physically hit them, but they kept their feet. One by one they turned to face her, wonder on their faces. Mina fell to her knees.

"Princess…we had no idea…" She just smiled and shook her head.

"Don't worry yourself with things you can't control." She looked at all of them, who stared back at her as knowledge and memories flooded their minds. She clasped her hands in front of her and closed her eyes. After a moment of concentration she shimmered and standing in her place was their Usagi, wearing normal clothes and looking very pale. Before anyone could react she collapsed to the ground, sprawled out on the floor. Mamoru let out a cry and fell to his knees, his hands going out to her. Panic flew through all of them, and Ami's hand went to her mouth as Mamoru turned her over gently onto her back, looking for signs of her earlier wounds. As he turned her over, her mouth fell open, and she let loose a very loud snore.

They all stared at her in shock before collectively groaning as she continued to snore softly and rolled over to cushion her head with her hands. Rei set about making up pallets for them to sleep on, and Mamoru laid her on top of one and covered her with a blanket so she wouldn't get cold. He pulled his own pallet close to hers, but a respectful distance away. He remembered everything very clearly about them, about the love they had shared, but he figured it was best to not scare the daylights out of her by sleeping next to her since they hadn't had the chance to talk. The girls were all calling parents, explaining that they were spending the night over at Rei's, and Rei called Usagi's parents to tell them she had fallen asleep at the temple, and Rei thought it was best to just let her stay the night. They finished and made ready for bed, and he closed his eyes and drifted off.

* * *

She was sitting in a beautiful flower garden, unmindful of the dirt she was getting on her dress as she wove her chain of daisies together. She leaned forward to inhale the fresh scent of the roses growing in front of her and smiled, beginning to hum as she worked. Just as she was finishing the chain, she heard footsteps behind her on the path, but she merely grinned and started weaving her chain into a circle. He chuckled and crouched down beside her.

"You know you've torn your pretty dress." She nodded as she finished her task, and turned towards him.

"It's not like I can't get it fixed. Here you go!" She plopped the crown of daisies on top of his head and he raised an eyebrow as she went into a giggling fit.

"Somehow I don't think it's really my color." She laughed even harder as he took it off and put it on her head, and then stuck out her tongue.

"You should appreciate my gifts, you know. Some day I'll rule all of this and you'll be sorry you teased me." He grinned at her, and as he knelt down on the ground he pulled her close to him.

"I'll be sorry I didn't get to tease you more." As she tried to protest he kissed her deeply, and she smiled into his kiss. She secretly hoped that one day she could find a way to stop time, so their lives could remain that perfect forever.


	15. Act 14: Recovery

**A/N:** This is a short chapter, and I'm sorry it took so very long to come out. I got caught up in the whirl of graduation, but things have settled down now. I feel like this story is close to concluding, but I've been going back and forth on how it is going to end. On the upside, when this is finished I might start looking at a sequel for TLTE. Anywho, tell me what you think about this one and I'll try to have another chapter out for you soon.

Serenity-hime

* * *

Act 14: Recovery

It must have been past midnight when she awoke, her eyes gradually opening as she processed the moonlight filtering in through the window. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she could see Mamoru laying a few feet away from her, sound asleep. She took a moment to really look at him, examining his features. Her eyes wandered over his lips and nose, the watched as a stray moonbeam tickled his eyelashes, and trailed a finger through his hair. A smile touched her lips briefly as she stood and shed her blankets. Quietly she tiptoed past the sleeping forms on the floor, opening and closing the door as silently as she could manage. Moments later, the tiniest beam of light peeped beneath the door, followed by the sound of boots on the temple floor.

The wind playfully tugged on her long hair as she stood on the roof of a large building that overlooked the park and the lake. Her gloved hand gripped the spire that she was standing beside on the roof, and she took in a deep breath of the cool night air. The moonlight sparkled on the water of the lake, and sparkled in the reflection in her eyes. She closed those eyes and her mind turned inward.

_Where do we go from here? What is supposed to happen now? _she asked herself. _What do I do?_ She held back the worry that tried to bloom in her heart. Suddenly she heard the soft sound of footfalls behind her, and she opened her eyes, marveling at how much detail she could take in now. It was like getting glasses for the first time and seeing the grains of woods popping out at you, and the definition in the leaves of trees. She turned around, already smiling before he spoke.

"I figured I'd find you somewhere around here." Tuxedo Kamen wasn't wearing his hat for once, but she didn't mind. He was still quite handsome, as dashing as any heroine could wish for. He walked over next to her and sat down, and she followed suit as they both stared out over the park.

"It feels like yesterday was so long ago. Like years have passed between the time we sat in the park eating ice cream, and this very moment. It's sort of weird being able to see memories from centuries ago." Her voice drifted off into the darkness, and a long silence stretched out between them as they each wondered what to say. She took in a deep breath, but he spoke first.

"So what do we do now?" It was a few moments before she could find the words to respond. She tilted her head back to gaze at the silver, barren landscape of the moon.

"I think we just have to keep going with our lives. I mean, something significant has happened here, but we can't let it completely change who we are." She turned to face him, and her face was apologetic. "I understand what you really want to ask me. My best answer is that even though we know all of this now, we're not those same people. I'm not that Princess, I'm just her reincarnation. Princess Serenity 2.0." She smiled at him. His expression still seemed cloudy, so she scooted a little closer and reached out to squeeze his hand as she looked deeply into his eyes. "That doesn't change how I feel about you right now."

Without warning, she launched herself towards him, wrapping her arms around his body to hold him tightly to her, if awkwardly from her sitting position next to him. The scent of roses overwhelmed her, and as she felt his arms rise to embrace her, she smiled into his jacket. It was going to be alright, after all.

* * *

The morning found the girls getting ready for a day full of filming. There had been a lot of awkwardness before leaving the temple, but Usagi had finally convinced the girls to stop treating her like she was made of glass. They seemed to be less willing to accept how she felt about it than Mamoru had, with Rei and Mina carrying on about duties and obligations. Usagi had finally had enough and grabbed one of Rei's favorite manga and held it in front of her. The room was silent as her hands twisted and a small tearing sound echoed off the walls. Rei went deathly pale.

"You wouldn't."

"Oh yes I would." Rei cringed as another little tearing sound escaped, but she still didn't move from her spot. Her face started to grow very red.

"But that's one of your favorites!" Usagi shrugged and twisted a little harder.

"So? It's just a dumb manga. It's not like it's important." The grinding of Rei's teeth was audible.

"So help me Usagi if you don't put that down right this instant–"

"You'll what?" Usagi cut her off, and gave another good tug on the manga. The tearing sound was much louder this time, and Rei lost it. A strangled sound escaped her and she lunged at Usagi. Makoto grabbed Rei and Usagi danced out of reach, sticking her tongue out at the enraged priestess.

"I'm gonna kill you, you spoiled little brat!" Rei struggled and Usagi laughed. After a moment Rei abruptly stopped struggling against Makoto, looking horrified and covering her mouth with her hand. She opened her mouth to apologize, eyes welling up with tears of shame, but before she could speak the blonde tossed the manga to her and smiled.

"I'm still Usagi. You're still Rei. That's how this works. Everybody got that?" There was a long silence, but slowly the girls nodded and smiled tentatively. Usagi waved them off and they all left to get ready for filming.

* * *

Filming that day went extraordinarily well. The director was pleased on a monumental scale and decided to let everyone go a little early. He pulled Usagi aside at one point to tell her that he was immensely proud of how well her acting was coming along, and that if the movie did as well as he thought it would, there might be hope for a couple sequels. This delighted Usagi to no end, and she eagerly caught up with everyone to tell them about the possibilities.

After a good meal at the Crown with the girls and Mamoru, who had seemingly been adopted without question into their group, Usagi gathered her stuff to head home. She gave Mamoru a quick peck on the cheek before scooting out the door, barely catching a glimpse of a very perplexed Motoki. She chuckled to herself as she walked down the sidewalk towards home.

Minutes later she found herself standing in front of her house. A deep sense of homesickness filled her as she looked up at the house she had lived in since she was born. It felt like she hadn't been here in decades. She raced up the stairs and into the house, bolting into the kitchen to find Ikuko stirring a pot of something and watching the small television she kept on the counter. There was a thud as Usagi's bag hit the floor and she rushed over to embrace her mother. Ikuko looked down in surprise as her daughter attached herself with a hug. She carefully set down the spoon she had been stirring with and smiled as she hugged her daughter back.

Usagi stepped back after a long, thorough hugging. She smiled a little sheepishly at her mother, who had that mischievous twinkle in her eyes that always made Usagi nervous.

"Hi Mom! I uh, missed you while I stayed at Rei's last night." Ikuko nodded and turned back to her stirring while Usagi went to go pick up her fallen bag. A knowing, mother's smile crept across her face, but she kept her back to her daughter.

"Well I'm glad to see that you're home. Run upstairs and tell Shingo that dinner is ready if you would, sweetie." Usagi skipped past and Ikuko felt her heart growing warm. Something had happened while her daughter was away, and whatever it was, her baby was starting to grow up before her eyes.

* * *

When she opened her eyes, she knew he was waiting. Her silken dress whispered softly as she stood and walked toward the open doors that led to her balcony. As she stepped out into the soft glow of the moon, her skin almost seemed to pick up that silver sheen. He was leaning on the railing, staring up at Earth overhead, his back to her. He turned towards her as she approached and his eyes seemed to light up at her presence. She walked over to stand beside him and they both turned to look up at the beautiful blue orb in the sky.

"It's so beautiful. When I was a child, I always dreamed of going there. Mother said at first that I was too young, and when I was finally old enough it was too dangerous. Not that it stopped me." He simply smiled in response. "I remember when I first arrived. Everything was so beautiful and lush, plants grew everywhere and the air was so alive. And I was given my first rose by the most extraordinary man I've ever met." He turned to her, his eyes somber and took her hands in his own.

"You must hate me for what I did to you." She shook her head.

"It wasn't your fault. You have only ever given me happiness."

"But I couldn't protect you when you needed me most. I was too weak to save you." The pain of that night was reflected so sharply in his eyes that it hurt her a little inside too. She wiggled her hands out of his and reached up to remove his mask, and smiled at his surprise.

"I couldn't protect you either, but it doesn't matter now. That was a long time ago, and we are both much stronger this time. Nothing can stop us, and nothing will." She reached up and pulled him towards her and pressed her lips softly against his. He held her close, and she nuzzled her head against his chest as they both drifted happily through the night.


End file.
